


Stranger Things Have Happened

by Zisk



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Found Family, I’m just messing around, Pining, Sassy Loki, adopted son peter parker, affectionate best friend loki, descriptions of injuries, don’t try to figure out where it is in the timeline ‘cause I have no idea, except only one of them thinks they’re enemies, hard of hearing clint, healer class avenger, mutant avenger, not graphic descriptions but they don’t get glossed over, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-22 12:07:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 55,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14308305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zisk/pseuds/Zisk
Summary: (Y/N), head of the Stark Industries human resources department, loves her job. She loves keeping everything organized and running smoothly, and she loves that working for Stark means no one looks too closely at her. When an attack on the building and a misunderstanding brings her to the attention of the Avengers, she is reluctantly recruited. She’s never been one to hold a grudge, but “it’s your fault I’m an Avenger” might be the exception.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please note- American Sign Language is its own unique language with its own grammar, which is unlike either written or spoken English. For the purpose of this fic, all sign language is treated as Signing Exact English.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter one includes a pair of small bombs going off in the tower. No deaths, no graphic descriptions, it doesn’t get any real detail. The section is bookended by 5 asterisks if you want to avoid it.  
> If you REALLY want to avoid it, chapter one is just laying ground work and can be skipped.

You sipped your coffee, enjoying the quiet of your office. The sun had only been up for a couple hours, the rest of the staff would trickle in before too long, but for now it was just you and the peaceful silence. No complaints, no early-morning emails, no last-minute meetings. You sighed, smiling, and gathered up a stack of files that you hadn’t had a chance to get to for a couple weeks.  
It’s not that things had been hectic. Well, more hectic than usual. Stark Industries was never “slow”. Things had just gotten away from you, and if you were being honest you liked setting aside a morning every month or so to just relax and do something simple like filing.  
You opened the music app on your phone, setting it to something instrumental, and tucked it in your back pocket. You had the file room door open, humming along to the music, when you heard a commotion down the hall. You paused, befuddled, and starting walking towards the sound. Not the best choice, maybe, but in all your years at Stark Industries nothing had tried to kill you. With some of the lab experiments going on, that was saying something.  
You were about to turn a corner when a teenager rounded it, scuttling at full speed along the top of the wall. You stopped, watching him. That was not one of the experiments. You were not sure what it was.  
He noticed you, his eyes getting big. “Help.” He whispered. “I need to hide.”  
You nodded slowly and motioned for him to follow you. You lead him back to the file room and he dropped from the wall, crawling under the desk. You looked at him for a moment, blinking, before you turned off the light and closed the door.  
You were opening it again when Dr. Banner rounded the corner, decidedly green. You felt your blood run cold.  
“Where is he?!” Dr. Banner yelled, his voice becoming distorted by the way his vocal cords were changing.  
“Where is who, doctor?” You called, pulling the door shut and setting your files down. You were careful to keep your voice even.  
“Peter!” Dr. Banner was louder, half telling you and half calling for the boy. You sighed, refusing to let your fear get the better of you. You’d talked with Dr. Banner, he was a delight. If he turned into the Hulk the damages to the offices would be the least of your worries, but by god you weren’t letting him get into the paperwork. Re-doing the filing system had taken you most of a year.  
“Dr. Banner, I have no idea who that is. It’s just you and me this morning.” You held your hands out, placatingly. “Maybe I can help you look for him.”  
He turned to you, his eyes vibrant green, and watched you slowly walk towards him. “I can smell him.” He growled.  
“Then I’m sure he’s nearby. Let’s find him together.” You reached out, Dr. Banner allowed you to grab his hand (already a little bigger than you remembered). “Two sets of eyes are better than one, and I know the offices much better than you do.”  
Dr. Banner stilled, looking at you in confusion. The green pallor slowly drained from his skin and he nodded distractedly. “You do know the offices better. That’s a good point.”  
“Come on.” You smiled gently, leading him back the way he’d come from. “I’m sure he hasn’t gotten far.”  
It took a twenty-minute walk around the offices, carefully holding Dr. Banner’s hand the whole time, before he had calmed down enough to be convinced to take the elevator back to the Avenger’s level because ‘surely that’s where Peter would go’. You sighed heavily, feeling the adrenaline flow out of your system, and pushed open the filing room door. You fully expected the boy, Peter, to be gone.  
He was sitting under the desk, staring at you with round eyes.  
“What did you do?” You asked him accusingly. He blushed, looking down.  
“I was helping with a lab experiment and I tripped and the beaker spilled and he just… He just started turning green and no one else was up yet and I didn’t know-“ His words were tripping over themselves, you held up a hand to stop him.  
“Okay. Okay, it was an accident. The other Avengers are awake now, they’ll talk him down. You’ll be fine.” You shook your head. “Who are you?”  
“Peter.” His voice was quiet.  
“Okay, Peter. I’m (Y/N).” You stuck your hand out, pulling him out from under the desk. “What are you doing working in the lab with Dr. Banner?”  
“I’m Spiderman.” He said softly. You nodded in understanding.  
“You just moved in. Tony said something about you.” He looked at you in surprise. “I’m the head of HR for Stark Industries, I come upstairs sometimes.”  
He nodded. “How did you calm him down?”  
“Luck.” You smiled and he paled. “It’s okay, it worked. I’d give it a few more minutes before you go back upstairs.”  
“Can I… Stay with you? For a bit? Just until this blows over.” He scuffed his shoe on the carpet and you sighed.  
“Yeah, kiddo, come on. My office is this way.” You lead him down the hall, recovering your dropped files.  
“Hey, (Y/N)?” He asked after a moment.  
“Yeah?”  
“Can we listen to something different?” He gestured at the phone in your pocket and you groaned.  
*  
Peter leaned against the wall next to your door. “Hey, (Y/N)?”  
“Yeah Pete?” You looked up from your computer and he dropped his eyes to the floor. It had been a couple weeks since you’d saved him from the Hulk and he was becoming a fixture in your office.  
“Do you… Uhm, would you mind if I did my homework in here? I don’t wanna snoop or anything, I want to hang out and I know you said you didn’t have any meetings today and-“ The words tumbled out of him. You chuckled and he stopped talking, looking up at you.  
“Yeah, Pete. Let me clear some space on my desk.” You moved the stacks of papers to the desk behind you, clearing up half your desk for the teenager. “What are we listening to?”  
His face lit up and he dropped his backpack on a chair, making his way to stand next to you while you pulled up the music streaming service on your computer. He pointed, leading you through a rabbit-warren of playlists until he found the right one. You raised an eyebrow.  
“You sure? Once we commit, we commit.” You grinned. He nodded.  
“I’m sure. This one.”  
You worked in companionable silence for hours. Peter pulled out a book once his homework was done, leaning back in his chair. You were onboarding new hires between emails, mostly benefits questions and disciplinary updates.  
It was nice, peaceful. Peter was a good kid, you were getting almost weirdly protective of him. You always made sure he left your office with some kind of food and watched for scrapes and bruises when he came back from missions. You couldn’t ask many questions, couldn’t compromise the Avengers’ security (and you understood confidentiality so well), but you fretted. A little.  
JARVIS spoke up from the speaker in your office during the early afternoon. “Mr. Stark is looking for Mr. Parker, he requests that you meet him in his lab.”  
Peter looked up from his book, almost disappointed. “Okay, I’ll be right up.”  
“Jarvis.” You called. “Would you please tell Tony that we’ll both be up?” Peter raised an eyebrow and you brandished a stack of paperwork at him. “Insurance claim that he needs to look at. Do you know how hard it is to find him sometimes? I’m using you as bait.”  
He laughed, shaking his head. “That’s not a bad idea.”  
He grabbed his backpack off the ground, following you to the elevators. The ride up was quick, he told you a couple stories from school. Catching you up on his friends.  
Tony was waiting, arms crossed, as you stepped off the elevator.  
“What are you doing with my protégé?” He asked without preamble.  
“He was doing his homework in my office.” You shrugged. Tony raised an eyebrow and you held up a placating hand. “Only when I don’t have any meetings, and if something comes up he has to leave. Everything stays confidential.”  
Tony looked at Peter. “Is that why I can never find you in the tower?” Peter nodded. “None of you go to the rest of the building, how did you even meet her?”  
Peter fidgeted. “You remember that lab accident, with Dr. Banner?” Tony nodded. “When he started to change I just… ran. I wasn’t really paying attention. I ran into (Y/N) and she stuck me in a filing room.” His voice trailed off at the end as he started to blush faintly.  
Tony looked at you for confirmation and you nodded. “Didn’t Banner chase after him?” Tony asked.  
“He did.” You confirmed. Tony looked concerned.  
“Wasn’t he…” Tony trailed off.  
“A little green around the edges? Yes. It was fine, he wasn’t far enough along. I could still reason with him.”  
“That is incredibly dangerous and I wish you wouldn’t have you put yourself in the middle of it.”  
“What would you like me to do the next time Dr. Banner poses a threat to my filing?”  
“Have JARVIS call for one of us.”  
“And in the time it takes you to come down to my level and find the correct filing room?” Tony was starting to look irritated. You raised the placating hand again. “I understand your concerns, Mr. Stark. It was a scary situation and not one I want to find myself in again. But that is a risk I have made my peace with, what with you all living upstairs. Everything worked out alright.”  
Tony sighed, shaking his head. “It’s not like we can just move the Avengers.”  
“And it’s not like we can just move the main office. We have to learn to live together.” You smiled brightly and Tony snorted.  
“Fair.” He looked at Peter. “Now, I need you to-“  
“Mr. Stark.” You interrupted. He glared at you. “I will give you Mr. Parker, but for the moment I’m using him as bait. I need you to look over this insurance claim, we can’t possibly have been performing these tests.”  
Tony groaned, taking the paperwork from you.  
*  
There was a light knock on your doorframe and you looked up in surprise, you weren’t expecting anyone. Tony was leaning in the doorway, arms crossed.  
“Mr. Stark.” You smiled. “To what do I owe this visit?”  
He stepped into your office, shutting the door behind him. You raised an eyebrow.  
You’d known Tony for years. Stark Industries had head hunted you from another company, maybe five years after you’d graduated, adding you to their perpetually undersized HR team. When the old HR head retired, Tony himself picked you to fill the position. You weren’t friends but there was a mutual respect there, and you both enjoyed the occasions you were able to talk about things other than work. You had gotten a feel for each other.  
It was still always a little concerning when he came down to your office unannounced. Even when he didn’t look serious, didn’t look upset. When he just quietly sat across from you, crossing his legs and watching you thoughtfully.  
“You’re making me nervous, Tony.” You broke first, giving him what you hoped was a jovial smile.  
“Why was Peter doing his homework here?” He asked, tipping his head.  
Your shoulders tightened, ever so slightly. “I don’t know, I didn’t ask.”  
Tony nodded, thinking. “Does he talk about being an Avenger?”  
You shook your head. “I don’t ask, I don’t want to know something I shouldn’t.”  
“Are you why that scrape on his cheek went away so fast? A week ago?” He smiled faintly and you blushed.  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Tony.” He laughed.  
“Of course you wouldn’t. You like the kid.”  
You shrugged. “He’s a good kid. When did he move in?”  
“A couple months ago. He still spends weekends with his aunt, when he’s not out with us.”  
“He’s your protégé?”  
Tony grinned. “He’s such a smart kid! He wasn’t getting the support he needed, the opportunities. I want to see what he can do with a good foundation.”  
You chuckled. “You like the kid too.”  
“Clint and Natasha call me his ‘Avenger-dad’.”  
You paused. “The only family he talks about is his aunt.”  
Tony shook his head. “It’s like your interview. If he wants to tell you, he will. Don’t push.”  
You nodded, understanding.  
“If he’s doing his homework here, he obviously feels safe with you. Just… please keep doing what you’re doing. I want him to feel at home.”  
“Tony.” You chuckled. “I faced down the Hulk for the kid. I’m an impulsive decision and some paperwork away from adopting him. Don’t worry.”  
Tony made a pained face. “Don’t say that so loudly, I don’t want to deal with people referring to us as his ‘Avenger parents’.”  
You wrinkled your nose. “Ew, good point.”  
You both paused for a moment, looking at each other, then burst out laughing.  
“Ah, at least he’s in good hands.” You grinned, wiping tears of mirth from your eyes.  
*****  
Wednesday started off quiet. No morning meetings, no emergency phone calls, no emails that you didn’t already know about. It almost set your teeth on edge, waiting for something to go wrong. You were putting together separation packets when the hair on your arms raised. You paused, listening.  
An alarm you hadn’t heard before started blaring, followed by JARVIS’ voice over the intercom.  
“Please evacuate the building. This is an emergency, please head to the stairwells and evacuate the building.”  
Your heart clenched. Normally, you would have put your money on another lab fire. This was different, and that had you worried. You poked your head out of the office, watching the rest of the people on your floor streaming for the stairs. You stepped back into your office, turning to the little speaker in the corner.  
“Jarvis, it’s (Y/N) (L/N). What’s going on?” Tony had given you a little more freedom with JARVIS, mostly so you could reach him in an emergency. You didn’t use it often.  
“I’m afraid there has been an attack on the building Ms. (L/N), I must insist that you evacuate.”  
You exhaled hard, your blood turning to ice. You’d always worried this was coming.  
“What floor?” You asked.  
“The fourth and fifth. Ms. (L/N), I must-“  
“I’m going, I promise. Thank you, Jarvis.” You ran out the door, heading for the stairs.  
When you reached the fifth floor, you pushed the door open and ran into the darkness.  
*  
You were on the stairs between the fifth and fourth floors, supporting the weight of a man with a broken leg, when Peter almost ran into you. Steve and Strange were right behind him. Steve reached out, taking the injured man from you, and swung him into a fireman’s carry.  
“There’s three more.” You called. “They’re by the fifth floor door, to the right.”  
“I’ll be back.” He nodded, taking off down the stairs. Strange and Peter followed you through the door, Peter using his webbing to wrap injuries. Steve was back faster than you expected, helping Peter carry people outside. Strange took a step to go further into the offices and you grabbed his sleeve, shaking your head.  
“That was everyone on this level. The next one down was hit too.”  
He nodded, his face unreadable, and followed you into the stairwell.  
The fourth floor was eerily silent, broken only by the occasional moan of pain.  
“Hello?” Dr. Strange called. “Where are you? We’re here to help!”  
“Here!” A man shouted from further in. “We’re here!”  
You took off after the voice, close on Strange’s heels. The man was propped up against a wall, his leg obviously broken. There was a woman laying near him in a pool of blood, the source of the moaning. You watched Strange triage in his head, debating the likelihood of saving the woman in time, and he dove for the man with the broken leg. You fell to your knees next to her, gently setting your hands on her arm.  
“Hey.” You whispered. “Hey, stay with me, you’re going to be okay.” Her eyelids fluttered but didn’t open. Strange lifted the man, helping support his weight as they hobbled towards the stairs. As they turned a corner, you gripped her arm a little tighter. Her bleeding slowed and you could feel her heartbeat become a little steadier. You smiled faintly.  
When Strange returned, there were EMTs on his heels. Two of them loaded the woman onto a stretcher, the rest fanning out to check the offices. You met Peter and Steve at the door to the stairs, another EMT watching them closely.  
“We’re being removed.” Steve said quietly. “They’ve got it from here.”  
You nodded, following them outside. The sunlight was blinding and Steve steadied you when you stumbled. The four of you moved out of the way, watching the emergency crews work.  
“Thank you for your help.” Steve squeezed your shoulder before walking over to confer with the police chief that had pulled up. Peter gave you a wan smile, following Steve.  
You took a seat on the curb, watching the ambulance crews treat the people you’d brought out. Dr. Strange sat next to you and it took you a moment to realize he was studying you.  
“How long have you been practicing?” He asked. You looked over in confusion.  
“Practicing?”  
“Your magic.” Your breath caught in your throat.  
“I don’t have magic.”  
“You were healing people in there.” It was his turn to look confused.  
You shook your head. “I wasn’t.”  
Dr. Strange gestured to the woman on the stretcher. “She should be dead, even with how fast the ambulances got here. Yet she is not. You went to her first, you’ve obviously done something to her.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Yet I’ve never felt your magic, usually I can-“  
You stood abruptly. “I don’t have magic, Doctor, leave it alone. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go prepare for the flood of insurance paperwork I’ll be getting.”  
You fled, leaving him staring after you in confusion.  
*****  
Every light in the filing room was on. You were nestled at the desk in the corner, legs crossed on your chair as you poured over paperwork. The stacks of insurance claims forms to your left was dwarfed by the stacks of employee records to your right, your laptop the only barrier between them. You matched paperwork to employee record, entering everything onto your laptop before dropping the folders into the large “To File” box next to your chair.  
You sighed, rubbing your eyes. With only six major injuries, a handful of minor ones and plenty of requests for therapy reimbursement, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. There were a couple employee records you’d pulled, knowing that their paperwork would show up in the next couple days. No deaths so far, and for that you breathed a sigh of relief. You could slog through the paperwork forever if it meant no one died.  
You leaned back, stretching against your chair and listening to the pops run down your spine. How long had you been sitting here? Three hours? More? You glanced at the clock on your computer and groaned, it was well after sunset. The chair squeaked as you pushed it back from the desk, your legs protesting as you stood. You started to stretch your hands toward the ceiling, lengthening your body and sighing deeply, when the door slammed open.  
You didn’t scream, but it was a close thing. Your hands balled into fists and you turned towards the door ready to swing. Peter was standing just inside the doorway, his arms flailing around his head as he yelled. You blinked, confused.  
“-didn’t tell me?! I thought we were friends, friends don’t keep secrets! I told you all about me, why wouldn’t you tell me?!” The words were pouring out of him in a torrent. You held your hands up placatingly, still confused.  
“And of all the things you could be doing, you’re here? We could have met ages ago if you were with us, I wouldn’t have had to stumble on your office! I wouldn’t have been alone my first month here, I would have known you from the start!” He wasn’t making sense, not really. You opened your mouth, trying to find a break in his monologue to interrupt.  
“There’s so much more you could be doing! Aren’t you the one that always tells me to do what I was meant for, to help people? How much of a hypocrite can you be?” Finally, he ran out of air and paused to gulp a giant breath.  
“Peter, what the fuck are you talking about?” You interjected before he could start up again.  
“You’re a mutant! You never told me you were a mutant!” The blood in your veins froze and you took a step back.  
“Who said that?” You all but whispered. Peter was still too fired up, he hadn’t noticed all the color drain from your face.  
“Tony, he said it came up in- Well, Tony told us, but only because Steve strong-armed him. Strange figured out there was something up with you, but it couldn’t be magic because he would have known.“  
“Tony?” You paused, Peter’s words registering in your brain. “Wait, Strange asked him if I had magic?”  
“Yeah.” Peter blinked.  
“Strange asked him after I said I didn’t?” You weren’t yelling, not yet, but it was getting close. Your voice was pitching higher. Peter stopped, finally noticing your pale complexion and your slow retreat across the room.  
“(Y/N)?” He asked, carefully.  
“I told him!” You wailed. “I told him I didn’t have magic! I told him to leave it alone! He asked Tony, in front of the Avengers?” At Peter’s nod you made an inarticulate sound. “Why couldn’t he just leave it alone?”  
“We… we don’t have a healer. It would be really-“ The fire in Peter’s speech was gone now. He clasped his hands in front of him, as if unsure what to do with them.  
“Your wanting a team healer doesn’t fix his violating my privacy!” You slammed a hand down on your desk, starting to hyperventilate.  
“No, it doesn’t.” Tony spoke up from the doorway, causing you both to jump. He sighed, stepping into the room and dropping a hand onto Peter’s shoulder. The teenager looked up at him gratefully. “(Y/N), I’m sorry. It was a breach of your contract and of your trust.”  
“Why?” You asked, voice thick with emotion.  
“Strange asked me in front of the Avengers, and they wouldn’t let it go. They were going to find out one way or another, and I made the choice that they’d hear it from me. I didn’t want them all coming down on you at once, especially right now.” He glanced at the pile of paperwork on the desk.  
You shook your head. “What made him think that was okay?”  
“He thought it was magic, maybe a talisman or something. I don’t know. He let his curiosity get the better of him.” Tony sighed, rubbing his face. “I’m sorry.”  
You leaned against the desk, closing your eyes. You focused on your breathing, trying to overcome the feeling of betrayal, the memories of the last time you were outed as a mutant. Anxiety made your heart clench as you looked at him. “What happens now?”  
“The rest of the Avengers are still arguing about you. They’ll shout themselves out eventually, or notice we’re gone.” He gestured to himself and Peter. You nodded. “I’ll try to put them off until tomorrow, or the next day, but they’re going to want to talk to you.”  
You nodded again, slower this time. “Will they deem me a threat?” You asked softly.  
Peter and Tony both blinked in surprise. “I- what?” Tony asked.  
“A threat.” You repeated. “Will they decide to lock me up?”  
“(Y/N).” Tony said slowly. “You’re not a threat, you’re a healer. You’re an asset. They’re going to pressure you into joining the Avengers.”  
Your eyebrows drew together. “Tony, I’m a mutant. A… monster. Is that really worth the benefit?”  
Tony looked at you, unsure of what to say. Peter made a noise and stepped forward, throwing his arms around your shoulders.  
“What the fuck are you talking about?” He asked, unconsciously repeating your question. “Mutants aren’t monsters. Hell, I’m a mutant.”  
“Don’t swear.” You corrected unthinkingly, wrapping your arms around him. “And you’re not a mutant, you got bit by a spider.”  
“Which caused a mutation.”  
“That’s different.”  
“Is it?”  
You hesitated. “Yes. And anyway, you save people.”  
“You save people. You saved people yesterday. You could save more people.”  
“Would they want to be saved by a… mutant?”  
Peter scoffed, squeezing you tighter. “You’re not a monster.”  
You mumbled something under your breath and he squeezed you tighter until you wheezed an “okay, enough” at him.  
“You’re not a monster.” Tony echoed. You looked at him over Peter’s shoulder, he was watching you both with an unreadable expression on his face. “I don’t know who told you that, but they’re wrong.”  
Peter suddenly pulled back, holding you at arms-length, concern writ large across his face. “Did someone tell you you’re a monster? Who? I’ll fuck them up.”  
“Peter, swearing.” You sighed, rubbing your eyes. Tonight had been so simple, you were just doing paperwork. This was the one thing you were hoping would never happen. “We’re not talking about this.” You looked up at Peter’s face (it had only been a few months, but had he always been this tall? He was still sprouting like a weed, you made a mental note to make sure he was eating enough) and smiled faintly. Maybe this wasn’t going the way you had always dreaded. Maybe things would be okay after all.  
“Agreed, we’re not.” Tony nodded. “But, sometime soon, the Avengers are going to ask you to join and it is going to be very difficult to talk them down.”  
You shook your head. “I can’t be an Avenger, I’m in HR.”  
Tony smiled sadly. “That defense isn’t going to get you as far as you’d like.”  
You paled slightly and nodded. “I’ll… Thank you, for the warning.”  
Tony reached out, gently tugging Peter away from you. “C’mon, kid. (Y/N) needs some time to process.”  
Peter looked like he might argue for a moment, then sighed. He allowed Tony to pull him away, walking backwards as he looked at you. “(Y/N), you’re my family now, and if anyone talks shit about you being a mutant…” He shook his head menacingly, then his expression dropped. “And… I’m sorry we found out without your permission.”  
You shook your head, smiling faintly. “’S okay, kiddo. Not your fault.”  
Tony pulled him out of the room, and whatever they talked about as they left they at least waited until they were out of your hearing to start.  
You sat on the edge of the desk and shook your head, covering your face with your hands as you tried to puzzle through the mix of emotions swirling in your gut. Despair, fear, betrayal, you expected all of those. Sadness, you expected that too. The little rivulet of hope was a surprise, though, as was the wash of relief that they weren’t vilifying you. You shook your head harder, pushing yourself off the desk and turning towards the door. It was time to go home. You had a lot of things to think over and being in your own space was going to help a lot.  
You stepped toward the door, looking up, and there he was. Just standing in the doorway as if he’d always been there, cloak swirling around his feet despite the lack of a breeze and an unreadable expression on his face. It was everything you could do not to yell. Or punch him. Or any of a dozen other inadvisable reactions.  
“It would appear that I owe you an apology.” Dr. Strange said, watching you. “It was not my intention to cause you emotional distress. I was merely curious.”  
You took a deep breath. “I told you to leave it alone.” You said, stiffly.  
He inclined his head. “You did.”  
“So why didn’t you?” You leaned back against your desk, starting to wonder if that was where you were going to be stuck forever as a rotation of the Avengers dropped by your office. You were not overly fond of the idea.  
“As I said, I was curious-“ He started, shrugging. You cut him off.  
“So your curiosity is worth more than my privacy?” He looked at you in surprise. “Do you not respect me because I’m not a super hero, or because you just think you’re better than me?” You weren’t stopping to consider your words before you said them, they were just falling out of you in an angry rush. Distantly, you realized you should probably stop, he was an Avenger and you were, well, probably about to unwillingly become one. Which was almost entirely his fault. You clenched your jaw, waiting for his response.  
“I respect you.” He cocked his head, sounding wounded.  
“Really? Then why didn’t you listen to me?” You crossed your arms, staring him down.  
He paused, trying to form a response. You shook your head. “That’s what I thought.” You shut your laptop with a snap and he stepped out of your way as you strode out of the office. Your anger lent you speed and you were around the corner and gone in a matter of seconds. He watched you leave in silence, standing in the doorway for some time before disappearing through a portal.


	2. Chapter 2

“(Y/N), thank you for meeting with us.” Steve smiled, his blue eyes sparkling. You smiled back, nervously, and shook his hand. “Please have a seat.” He gestured to the only empty chair and you sat, surveying the Avengers.  
You were in one of the conference rooms, one of the ones you’d used so many times for company meetings (it felt almost unfair that this was the room they were using. this had been yours, why was it being used against you now?). It had been two days since that night in the office, Tony had bought you as much time as he could, and you had spent most of those two days alternating between trying to work through the tangle of emotions in your chest and using the mountains of paperwork to ignore everything else. So far, it had been working great, even if it didn’t leave you much time for sleep. You weren’t surprised when JARVIS had spoken up in your office, letting you know that ‘Mr. Stark says it’s time’ and ‘please be in the conference room at 1’. You had debated running.  
An obnoxious noise pulled you out of your thoughts. You looked up, watching Peter drag his chair down the table to sit next to you. He settled to your left, leaning back and crossing his arms as if daring someone to protest. When no one did, he shot you a bright smile. You almost laughed.  
The table was a long rectangle and you were sitting at one end. To your left was Peter, Clint, Bruce and Thor. To your right was Natasha, Tony, Steve and Dr. Strange. You had been in the tower often enough, chasing Tony with questions or at Peter’s behest, that you knew them all by sight. They weren’t all friends, but they were all friendly, and they were all staring at you.  
You sighed and looked at Steve expectantly. He had seemed to be taking the lead on this. He nodded.  
“Let’s begin, then. (Y/N), I would like to apologize for the way we found out about your powers. It was not our intention to violate your privacy and I’m sorry for any distress we’ve caused you.” His face was always so expressive, you were convinced he had to be terrible at poker. He looked at you so sadly, you couldn’t help but believe he was truly regretful for their cornering Tony. You sighed, either way you were here now.  
You inclined your head. “I accept your apology.” Something flickered across Strange’s face.  
Steve smiled faintly. “However, in light of your powers, we would like to ask you to join the Avengers. Having someone with your ability to heal would be a huge help to us.”  
You nodded. “No, thank you.”  
Tony smiled faintly. Bruce and Thor looked surprised, Clint and Natasha looked less surprised, Strange’s face remained unreadable. Steve nodded.  
“We were… told you would say that.” He glanced at Tony, who was leaning back in his chair. “What can we say to convince you otherwise?”  
“Nothing.” You shook your head. “I’m happy where I am, I’m doing what I enjoy.”  
“You don’t have to stop working for Stark Industries.” Tony’s head was tipped back, his eyes closed. “I’d hate to lose you, you’d be welcome to assist at your job when you’re not out on missions.”  
“That’s another problem, I work in HR. I’m not…” You gestured. “Mission ready?”  
Natasha perked up. “We’d be happy to train you. Clint and I don’t have powers, we can teach you how we fight.”  
“I would help.” Thor beamed.  
“Because the thought of fighting you isn’t going to scare anyone off.” Clint shook his head, smiling.  
You shook your head. “I appreciate it, but how long do you think it’s going to take for me to go from-“ you gestured to yourself, “-to-“ you gestured at Natasha and raised an eyebrow.  
“Less time than you’d think.” She smiled. “You wouldn’t be offensive, you’d be purely support, so you wouldn’t have to be… all this.” Her smile turned toothier. It was more than a little frightening. Clint snorted.  
“Reassuring.” You inclined your head. “But…”  
“Fighting’s scary.” Clint shrugged. “Nothing we can say will make that any different. Teaching you to fight will make it less scary, and you won’t be our front line. We’ll be between you and whoever we’re after.”  
“We need a healer.” Steve’s voice was almost pleading. “We’ve had a couple near misses and we haven’t been able to come up with a good solution. Having someone on-hand who can patch us up without needing medical facilities would be… Well, it’d be a life saver.”  
Tony groaned. “Terrible puns won’t get her to agree, Steve.” Steve colored, looking at the table.  
Bruce watched your face, looking thoughtful. Strange watched you, carefully avoiding eye contact.  
You opened your mouth, preparing to turn them down again, when Peter took your hand. Your mouth clicked shut and you turned to look at him, eyebrows drawn.  
He looked so sad, and yet so hopeful. “Please?” He asked quietly.  
You sighed. Even if you stayed in your position, there was no changing the fact that they all knew about you now. They wouldn’t make it hard on you, not purposefully, but they’d know you weren’t stepping up. Plus, maybe… Maybe if you helped them, helped save the world, maybe it would prove a few people wrong about you. About mutants. There was no mending those bridges, but just knowing they were wrong would feel so good. You took a breath, now was not the time to get lost down that path.  
You gave Pete a tiny smile, squeezing his hand, and looked back to Steve. “Okay.” You nodded. “I’ll do it.”  
There was a moment of surprised silence, they’d expected more of a fight (Tony had blocked out hours of his day, expecting you to dig your heels in), before Clint and Peter let out a whoop and Natasha grinned as she leaned back in her chair. Thor beamed, Bruce nodded, smiling, and Steve looked relieved. Tony grumbled something but he smiled at you. Dr. Strange inclined his head, his face still expressionless.  
“Good.” Steve grinned, nodding. “Good, perfect. Welcome to the team! Natasha, would you please show (Y/N) to her room in the tower and work out a training schedule with her and Clint?”  
“And me.” Thor interjected.  
“And Thor.” Steve corrected himself, smiling.  
Natasha nodded, standing. “Of course. (Y/N), come with me please.” She shot you a smile and headed for the door. You stood to follow her, but Peter launching himself out of his chair and hugging you knocked you back a step.  
“You’re an Avenger!” He cheered, grinning. His smile was infectious and you grinned back at him.  
“I guess I am.” You nodded, ruffling his hair. “C’mon, let’s go find my room so you can help carry stuff in.”  
He balked as you started to pull him toward a smiling Natasha. “Why am I carrying your stuff?”  
“It’s a lesson in responsibility.” You said sagely. “You wanted me to be an Avenger, now you get to work to make that happen.”  
“But you already are an Avenger.” He whined.  
“Am I? Or do I truly become an Avenger when I live in the tower?” You raised an eyebrow. Behind you, you could hear Bruce and Clint trying not to laugh.  
Peter glared at you. “You just don’t want to carry everything.”  
“That is also true.” You pulled him out the door and after Natasha, Clint following a few feet behind you.  
The four of you stepped into the elevator. Natasha pressed the button for the top floor and turned to the rest of you. “We will want to do an assessment before we work out a training schedule, see where you are now and make sure we don’t push you too hard to start.” She spoke carefully. You nodded.  
“What are you doing tomorrow?” Clint asked, leaning against the wall opposite Natasha.  
You shrugged, turning to look at him. “I don’t know, what am I doing?”  
He nodded. “Good answer.” Looking at Natasha over your head, he raised an eyebrow. “Morning assessment?”  
“Morning assessment.” She agreed. “We’ll meet in the kitchen tomorrow at nine.”  
You nodded. “Anything I should bring?”  
Natasha shook her head. “Just be ready to work.”  
The pit of nervousness in your stomach got a little bit worse but you nodded again, mentally running through where your workout clothes were in your apartment.  
Clint nudged your shoulder and you turned to him. “Hey, relax. We’re not going to do anything you can’t handle. This won’t even be hard, we just want to know where you’re starting from.”  
You let out a long breath of air and gave him a rueful smile. “Sorry, I know. I guess… this is a lot of changes all at once, it’s a little overwhelming.”  
“No kidding.” He nodded. “Look at it this way. If the high schooler,” he gestured at Peter, “can do it, so can you.”  
“Hey!” Peter protested, indignant. Natasha snorted and Clint grinned at him. You ruffled his hair and he grumbled. The elevator door opening saved him from trying to come up with a snappy response.  
Natasha lead the group into the tower, turning right to head up the stairs to the bedrooms. The dark-haired man descending the stairs made her pause. He raised an eyebrow, studying you.  
“New recruit?” He asked, his voice like silk. He looked so familiar, but you couldn’t quite place him. You were sure he hadn’t been here any of the times you’d been chasing down Tony.  
Peter’s grip on your arm tightened slightly and Clint stepped up next to you, slinging an arm across your shoulders and grinning. “Just joined, we don’t have a nickname for her yet. (Y/N), this is reindeer games. Reindeer games, this is (Y/N).”  
The man groaned, rolling his eyes. “You know I despise that name.”  
“That’s why it caught on.” Somehow Clint’s grin got bigger.  
The man shook his head and extended his hand to you. “Please, call me Loki. Welcome, (Y/N).” You shook his hand, head cocked slightly in puzzlement.  
“I’m sorry, you look very familiar…” You trailed off, hoping he would remind you where you’d met before. Something flashed across his face and Natasha spoke up before he could.  
“Oh, you haven’t met him. He just moved in a couple months ago. Loki is Thor’s brother. I bet you saw him on the news though, he killed a bunch of people in Germany a few years back. Right before he started that alien invasion.” She smiled sweetly. Loki’s jaw clenched.  
“But don’t worry about all that.” Clint shook your shoulders. “Thor assures us his brother has been rehabilitated and is ready to join the fight to keep our world safe. Right?” He looked pointedly at Loki.  
“Right.” Loki looked uncomfortable. He nodded to you. “It was a pleasure making your acquaintance. I’m sure I will see you around the tower.” He didn’t flee past you, but he moved faster than was necessary.  
Clint stepped back from your side and Peter loosened his grip on your arm. You raised an eyebrow at Natasha and she shrugged.  
“Thor says he’s rehabilitated, he’s still on probation for a few months. He hasn’t slipped up yet.” She started up the stairs again.  
You started to ask questions, then just shook your head. If they kept him around, there had to be a reason. Part of being an Avenger was trusting the team, and anyway you had more pressing things to worry about. Like the door Natasha was stopping in front of.  
“This is you.” She pulled the door open. “The door on the far side is the bathroom, complete with tub-slash-shower. That door is the closet. JARVIS has auditory and visual access unless you tell him to disable it, but usually he just uses infrared. Right, JARVIS?” She looked to the ceiling.  
“Correct, Ms. Romanov. Welcome to your new home, Ms. (L/N).” JARVIS’ voice came from the far corner of the room.  
“Please, call me (Y/N).” You called.  
“Your preference is noted, (Y/N). If I can be of any help, please ask.”  
Your eyes roved across the bare room and you turned to Natasha. “I guess I need to start packing…”  
“Unnecessary.” Tony called from behind you. “I’ll be sending movers to your apartment just as soon as I get your key from you.” You jumped, turning to face him.  
“Movers?” You asked. He nodded.  
“More time efficient. You have tours and briefings and Bruce wants some of your blood.”  
You chose to ignore that last part. “I need to get some things from my apartment, for training tomorrow.”  
Natasha rested a hand on your shoulder. “I’ll have workout clothes sent to your room, don’t worry.”  
You started to protest, wanting the reassurance of wearing something familiar to you. This wasn’t the same tower you’d jogged through to find Tony before, this was rapidly becoming something else. Something larger. You recognized the hallways in a vague way, but it felt as if the building itself was changing while you looked at it.  
Tony shook his head, cutting you off. “Standard issue for Avengers, we have monitoring equipment built into the fabric. We’ll know exactly what raises your heartrate and by how much. Very efficient.”  
You looked at him, betrayed and trying to form another protest. He smiled at you and put his hands on your shoulders to start to steer you. “Briefings. Blood. C’mon, it’s my turn to drag her around.”  
Clint chuckled and Natasha shook her head with a smile. “Nine A.M. Kitchen. Be ready.” She reminded. You nodded.  
Tony looked at Peter, still wrapped around your arm. “Sorry kiddo, this one’s just us two.”  
Peter paused, then nodded and let go of you. “Okay. I’ll be in the living room.”  
Tony steered you off down the hall, back down the stairs and into the elevator. Once the doors had closed and the elevator was moving, he turned to you and held out his hand. “Key.”  
“Tony-“ You started to protest. He shook his head.  
“The movers are under orders to bring clothes, books and knickknacks. And to clean out the kitchen. Everything else stays there.” You must have looked confused because he smiled. “Just because you’re an Avenger doesn’t mean you don’t still work in my HR department, and your paycheck is more than enough to keep covering your rent.” He gave you a conspiratorial wink and his expression softened. “I know you didn’t really want this, I figured having somewhere familiar you can go would help.”  
You felt some of the tension drain out of your shoulders and you gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Tony.” You fished your apartment key out of your pocket and handed it over.  
“You’ll have it back by tonight.” He paused, a grin forming on his face. “And don’t worry, the movers are all very life-like robots. I’ll wipe your apartment location from them when they’re done.”  
You nodded. “Thank you.” He shrugged dismissively and started forward a second before the elevator doors opened. You stepped out after him and marveled at the labs opening up before you.  
You knew they were here, you’d been in the Stark labs before, but they never got any less beautiful. Tony’s pace was fast, though, and you had no time to admire the architecture as he led the way.  
“Where are we going?” You called after him.  
“I already told you, Banner wants your blood.” You could hear the eyeroll in his voice. You missed a step, your eyebrows shooting up.  
“I thought you were kidding.”  
“He’s not kidding.” Bruce looked up from the paperwork he was holding, leaning against a table in the lab Tony led you into. “But he is presenting it in a way designed to get you off-balance.” He fixed Tony with a half-hearted glower. Tony shrugged, opening a small hatch on the wall and setting your key inside.  
“JARVIS, this is (Y/N)’s apartment key. Please send the movers over.” He called, ignoring Dr. Banner.  
“Right away, Mr. Stark.” JARVIS’ voice seemed to come from everywhere.  
Bruce shook his head, smiling, and set down the paperwork. He extended his hand, taking yours in a gentle handshake. “I didn’t get to welcome you to the team earlier. I know this isn’t exactly what you wanted, but we’re glad to have you.”  
You gave him a half-hearted smile. “Thanks. I hope I can help.”  
His smile widened, taking on more of the mad-scientist look you were used to. “You absolutely will. Having a healer on the team is going to be invaluable once Natasha and Clint get you field-ready. And having someone with your unique genetic coding close enough to study?” He shook his head, excited.  
You paled slightly. “Do I get a say in studying my genetic coding?”  
“Not really.” Tony dropped into a wheeled chair, pulling out his phone and turning his attention to the screen. “Studying your genes is going to let us design gear for field ops that are specifically built for your needs, and it’s going to give us more insight into how you work.” He glanced up, shrugging. “It kinda comes with the territory.”  
Bruce gave you an apologetic smile. “Privacy is important to you, I understand that. The information we get from studying you goes no further than this lab, and what we find really will help us keep you safe in the field.”  
You wrinkled your nose but sighed in defeat. “Alright, fine.”  
Bruce led you to a chair and busied himself preparing the equipment for the blood draw. Tony remained fixed on his phone, glancing up once to give you an apologetic smile. You sighed, looking around to study the lab.  
Everything was changing, and all you could do was run with it.  
*  
You lay in bed, unable to sleep. The blood draw at the lab had been fairly quick and painless. The briefing with Steve about current agendas had been, well, brief. With you not checked off for field work and not having a training schedule set up by Natasha and Clint (and Thor), there wasn’t much to go over. Clint and Steve had given you the formal tour. Peter insisted on tagging along, and his running commentary had resulted in Clint just turning off his hearing aids. There had been a family-style dinner, where you mostly just listened to the bickering and got a feel for the team dynamics, and you’d excused yourself shortly thereafter. You told them you needed to get your things in order, which was true, but mostly you just wanted some time to yourself to process.  
You’d organized for a few hours, hanging up your clothes and trying to make the room look a little more home-y, before giving up and throwing yourself across the bed. You were emotionally exhausted but your brain was a-tizzy with thoughts, and you’d stayed sprawled across your bed for hours before giving up.  
You sat up, groaning as you stretched your back out, and made your way to the door. It opened soundlessly, revealing a dark and empty hallway. You moved quietly down the stairs, finding the living room and the kitchen deserted. A glance at the kitchen clock revealed it was well after midnight. You shook your head and sighed, tomorrow was going to hurt.  
You walked through the living room, stopping in front of the giant windows. The city sprawled out below you, a sea of twinkling lights faintly illuminating the swirl of clouds above. It was peaceful and you smiled softly, watching the world exist around you.  
Something moved on the deck, by the railing. For a moment your heart stopped, adrenaline flowing into your veins. You narrowed your eyes, trying to make out the shape by the absence of light. It wasn’t working. The shape made its way along the railing, and finally hit a patch of light. Loki rested his arms on the railing, leaning down as he surveyed the city. You let out a long, relieved breath.  
He turned suddenly, looking right at you. If you hadn’t known better, if there hadn’t been so much distance and thick glass between you, you would have thought he’d heard your exhale. You shook your head at such a silly thought, making your way to the door. The night air was brisk as you stepped out, sliding the door shut behind you. Loki half-turned, leaning on the one arm he kept on the railing.  
“I’m sorry.” You called softly when you got close enough. “I didn’t mean to intrude on your…” You gestured at him.  
He smiled faintly. “It’s hardly an intrusion. We didn’t get much of a chance for introductions before. I am Loki Laufeyson, brother of Thor, prince of Asgard.” He extended his hand, gently taking yours. “At your service.”  
You snorted, smiling. “(Y/N) (L/N), formerly head of human resources for Stark Industries, now the most unwilling Avenger.”  
Loki laughed, surprised. “Unwilling Avenger?”  
You nodded. “I didn’t so much sign up for this as get conscripted.”  
He smiled ruefully. “I know the feeling, my brother was rather insistent I join up. Despite the other Avenger’s misgivings, and my own.”  
You grinned, your eyes sparkling faintly in the city lights. “Maybe we’re a sub-team; a team within the team.” Loki raised an eyebrow. “Team We Don’t Want To Be Here.”  
He laughed again, quieter this time. “It would be… nice, to be on a team with someone.”  
You nodded. “It’s settled then.” You two stood in silence, watching the city below you.  
Finally, Loki looked over at you. “What do you do?” You gave him a blank look. “Your personality isn’t forceful, I don’t think you fight. You don’t strike me as a scientist. What do you do that got you here?”  
“Ah. I-“ You paused, it felt weird to say it out-loud. “I heal people.”  
Loki’s eyebrows shot up. “A healer? That’s a rare talent, who taught you that magic?”  
You sighed, shaking your head. “No magic. I’m a monst- mutant.”  
Loki’s face clouded at your choice of words. “I’ve never liked that word, ‘mutant’. It sounds like an aberration, as though it’s trying to darken a gift.”  
You snorted, starting to form a snappy reply, and he held up a hand.  
“It is a gift, healing people. It’s nothing you should be ashamed of.” He paused. “I, ah, was perhaps a fly on the wall at a meeting a couple days ago. I don’t suppose you are the woman that was healing people after that attack on the tower?”  
Even in the dim light he could see the way your face darkened. “I’ll presume you are then. I’m sorry for the way you were outed.”  
You shrugged, rolling your shoulders to try to dislodge the sudden anger. “If you were a fly on the wall, I don’t see that it was your fault they found out.” You scowled. “I know how they found out.”  
Loki chuckled dryly. “I see you are not the biggest fan of the good doctor.”  
“You could put it like that.”  
“Nor am I. There was an… incident, when my brother first brought me to the tower. The good doctor did not endear himself to me.” Loki chose not to elaborate and you didn’t press him, you just nodded.  
“Let us not speak of him.” Loki sighed. “Are you not tired? I was under the impression that this was a long day for you.”  
“I’m exhausted.” You laughed. “I just can’t sleep. So much is changing, so quickly.”  
“I understand. This must be difficult. Having your private matters publicly outed, being unable to return to your home, finding yourself here.” His lips twitched up at the corners. “It all sounds so familiar.”  
You snorted, giving him a half-smile. Despite yourself, you felt a growing kinship for the man. Nothing would make up for the people he had killed, for the selfish war he’d tried to start (you’d asked JARVIS for the run-down on everyone as you unpacked, Loki’s had been especially illuminating), but so far his rehabilitation had been successful. He was working to right his wrongs. He wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t, right?  
You both lapsed into companionable silence, enjoying the night breeze and the distant sound of life from below you. A yawn caught you off-guard some time later, eliciting a chuckle from Loki.  
“Your day finally catches up with you.” His voice was teasing. “Shall we retire, then? I believe I am finally beginning to tire as well.”  
You pushed yourself off the railing, stretching. “Yeah. I suppose we should. I have a rough start planned tomorrow.”  
He nodded in understanding. “You should rest before your assessment. I know Thor is… enthusiastic to see what you can do.”  
You groaned, throwing your head back, and Loki laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

You lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, and flexed the muscles in your limbs. Everything ached, you hurt in muscles you didn’t know you had, and you were weighing how much getting out of bed was worth to you. You weren’t training today, no one was expecting you, laying there sounded so good.  
“(Y/N), Mr. Parker is attempting to open your door.” JARVIS spoke, making you jump in surprise.  
“He- what?”  
“Mr. Parker is attempting to open your door. There is a gathering in the living room and he has been sent to get you. Would you like me to let him in?”  
“No, that’s alright. Thank you, Jarvis.” You rolled off the bed, pulling on a pair of leggings and a sweater. You pulled yourself up using the edge of the bed and staggered to the door.  
You startled Peter while he was trying to slide a credit card between the doorjamb and the lock. You raised an eyebrow and he grinned.  
“I tried knocking, you didn’t answer.”  
“That’s fair.” You nodded. “What’s going on?”  
“We’re watching a movie, you should come.”  
You paused. “It’s morning. Don’t you normally have movie nights…?”  
He nodded. “Yes, but there’s nothing going on today and Steve hasn’t seen The Godfather.”  
“I haven’t seen The Godfather.”  
Peter gasped, pressing a hand to his chest. “No! You’re coming!” He grabbed your hand, dragging you into the hall and down the stairs. You staggered good-naturedly after him.  
The living room was packed with Avengers. Clint and Natasha were sitting on the loveseat, bickering about American cinema. You got the feeling she hadn’t seen it either. Steve was sitting in the middle of the couch, Tony on one side and Thor on the other. Tony gestured Peter over to claim the space next to him and you squeezed Peter’s hand, gently pushing him toward the couch. Loki was settled in one of the armchairs. You grabbed a couple of cushions, dropping them between the couch and Loki’s armchair. You laid down, stretching out, and batted Loki’s foot. He looked down at you perplexed and you waved, smiling.  
Tony hit play, JARVIS brought the lights down, and you settled in to gently stretch and ‘become educated in classic American cinema’ (as Clint put it).  
After the movie Peter, Tony and Clint insisted on starting the next one. Natasha and Steve were stuck, but you and Loki managed to make up excuses and leave.  
Loki disappeared into the kitchen and you headed up to your room. Bruce was in the hall, presumably headed for his lab, and you waved.  
“They’re playing the Godfather movies in the living room, if you’re interested.” You called.  
He shook his head ruefully. “Movies aren’t really my thing anymore, I’m afraid. They get my blood pressure up and, well…”  
You cocked your head to the side, thinking. “So no action movies and no horror movies. Maybe no sci-fi. What about comedy?”  
He paused, considering. “I don’t know? I haven’t tried. There was an incident in Chicago and it… didn’t really seem worth pursuing after that.” He blushed, looking away.  
“Do you want to try?” You asked, grinning. He looked at you in concern.  
“That wouldn’t… I don’t think…” He shook his head. “Even in the tower, that’s not a great idea.”  
You grinned and held out your hand. “I have a plan. Trust me?”  
He sighed, taking your hand wordlessly. You dragged him into your room, sat him on the loveseat you had asked Tony to retrieve from your apartment and popped a DVD into the player. You dropped onto the loveseat next to Bruce, grabbing the remote and leaning back in such a way that your arm rested on his. Skin to skin.  
The movie started and you monitored. Any time his pulse picked up, any time you felt him starting to change, you soothed it away. It was a silly comedy, nothing too exciting, you only had to slow his heartrate a couple of times. Getting to hear him laugh, really laugh, was worth not paying attention to the movie.  
If he noticed that you maintained physical contact, if he knew what you were doing, he didn’t say anything. After the movie he thanked you and left to resume the trek down to his lab.  
*  
You poked your head around the corner, peering into the living room. Clint was sitting on the couch, reading.  
Perfect.  
You strolled in, stepping heavier than you normally did in the hopes of alerting Clint to your presence. It worked, he glanced up and offered you a quick smile. You hurried over, sitting on the couch near him. He looked up, puzzled.  
“Hello. How are you?” You signed slowly, unsure.  
He laughed, grinning. “Good.” He signed. His hands moved slowly through a set of signs you didn’t know.  
You shook your head, speaking aloud. “I’m not that far along. I mostly just know the alphabet, greetings and yes and no.”  
He nodded. “That’s a start. Do you want to practice?”  
“If you’re not busy?”  
“Don’t play coy, that’s why you came in here.” He laughed, pointing at a lamp. “Spell that.”  
Carefully, you spelled out lamp. He nodded and made a quick gesture with his hands.  
“That’s lamp.”  
“Can you do it again?”  
He nodded, slowing it down and you followed along.  
You bit your lip, looking up at him. “You know I’m not going to remember this?”  
“Yeah you will.” He grinned. “Sign language is useful in the field, it just became part of your training.”  
You spent the afternoon in the living room, learning the names for all the furniture and as many objects as Clint could comfortably see. He was enjoying himself more than you’d thought he would and he was proving to be a very patient teacher. He went slowly, making sure you had a word down before moving onto the next one.  
Natasha walked in as evening was starting to fall. She watched you two silently for a while. Clint glanced at her, grinned, and did something new with his hands. You raised an eyebrow.  
“It’s another way of saying thank you.” He explained, doing it slowly. You followed along.  
Natasha snorted. “It is not. Don’t use that sign.”  
You looked up, surprised. “What does it mean?”  
“’Fuck you’.” She shook her head, smiling.  
You scowled at Clint. “Have you been teaching me the other ones wrong, too?”  
“Naw, just that one.” He grinned.  
Natasha walked over, settling on your other side. “Show me what he’s taught you.”  
You ran through all the signs Clint had shown you so far and Natasha nodded.  
“Those are all right.”  
You looked at her and she could tell you were weighing how likely it was that she was messing with you too. She started laughing.  
“I wouldn’t, I promise. Having you know sign language will be useful.” She reached past you to pop Clint on the shoulder. “And he’ll behave, because this benefits him too.”  
He grinned, chuckling. “Yeah, alright.”  
“Thank you.” You signed to both of them. They smiled before rapidly signing to each other. You could pick out words here and there this time, it was nice.  
*  
You were sprawled out on the couch reading when Loki walked in, a fairly sizable book tucked under his arm. He nodded to you as he settled in the armchair next to the couch. You raised an eyebrow at him.  
“The couch is more comfortable.” You observed.  
“Yes, but you are already occupying it.”  
You pulled your legs closer to you, curling up and creating enough space for another person. You looked at him pointedly.  
He blinked, confused. “I would hate to impose.”  
“It’s not an imposition, I’m offering. I’ll be offended if you stay in the chair.” You paused, grinning. “I will assume it’s because I smell.”  
Loki snorted. “If there is any question of your odor, perhaps you should see to your hygienic routines.”  
“I’m immune to my smell, I can’t tell. Why don’t you come over here and find out for me.”  
“You want me to be your coal mine canary?” He raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think that I’d do that for you?”  
“Because the couch is the better option, and because sometimes you should live dangerously.” You chuckled.  
Loki rolled his eyes but he was smiling as he moved to the couch. He sat on the other end, back against the armrest, and opened his book.  
You laid in comfortable silence for a while, reading.  
Finally, Loki looked up at you and cleared his throat. “What are you reading?”  
You showed him the cover. “It’s one of my favorites. Here, I was just re-reading it.” You closed the book, handing it to him. “What are you reading?”  
He chuckled. “One of my favorites. Here.” He handed you his book. You ran your hands over the leather binding, marveling. It was so soft, a testament to how many times it had been read. You opened it gently, finding it full of Asgardian letters and beautiful paintings.  
You must have made a noise of disappointment because Loki smiled softly. “Can’t read it?” At your head shake, he flicked his hand. The runes changed to English letters, rendering the stories comprehensible. You looked at him in surprise and he shrugged. “Illusion.”  
“Thank you.” You smiled, flipping to the beginning of the book. He did the same.  
You spent a few hours together, chuckling when the other gasped at something. About three quarters of the way through your book, Loki let out a betrayed gasp and flung the book across the room. He was on his feet instantly, moving so fast the book didn’t have time to hit the floor.  
“How could he?” Loki wailed, horrified and offended.  
You almost fell off the couch, you were laughing so hard. “You didn’t see it coming either, huh?”  
“He was… I trusted him! She trusted him! He knew- Oh, he knew he had her trust. Of all the underhanded…” Loki snarled, flinging himself back onto the couch and finding where he’d stopped.  
You got yourself under control as he read furiously, returning your attention to his book of Asgardian tales. They were lovely, full of lords and ladies and adventure. Glory, treachery, mystery. And the illustrations… You’d never seen anything like them.  
You both finished around the same time. Loki looked up, glaring at you.  
“Are there more of these? It looks like there’s more of these.”  
You nodded. “I have them, do you want to-“  
“Where.”  
“Come on.” You laughed, standing up and leading him to your room. You pulled three books off the shelf by your bed.  
“Here’s the next three in the series. They’re still being written, so there might be a new one out by the time you’re caught up…” You trailed off, looking up to find him scrutinizing your room.  
“Does it pass inspection?” You asked playfully.  
He shrugged. “It’s a little drab, but I suppose you like it that way.”  
You laughed. “Thanks for the honesty.”  
“I may be a trickster god, but I never lie about interior design.”  
You shook your head, smiling. “What would you do with it, then?”  
Loki lit up, taking the books from you and tucking them under one arm while gesturing broadly with the other. “Well, first-“  
*  
You looked up as elevator opened, smiling at Steve. You didn’t recognize the man with him, though. Steve blushed.  
“Uh, hey (Y/N). This is Sam, he’s a friend of mine from DC. He’s coming on the mission with us next week and he’s spending the weekend here. Sam, this is (Y/N). She’s our healer.”  
You stood up, walking over to shake the man’s hand. He gave you a smile that lit up his whole face.  
“It’s good to meet you, Steve said they found someone other than Banner to patch everyone up.”  
You chuckled. “I try. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”  
He paused, eyeing you. “Steve hasn’t mentioned me.”  
“Not that I recall, no.”  
He shot Steve a sour look, ruined by the way he was starting to laugh. “Figures. Probably worried you’d duck off to DC to see me for yourself if you’d known.” He grinned, linking arms with you. “So, what’s new? I haven’t been here in a while, fill me in.”  
“Oh, I’m still new, I wouldn’t know what’s changed.” You stammered, startled.  
“Sure you would. How’s Nat?”  
“Terrifying.”  
“Good to know that hasn’t changed. She’s still running around with what’s-his-name, Hawkeye?”  
You nodded and he chuckled, looking back to Steve.  
“Have they happened yet?”  
“They’re not a thing, Sam.” Steve called, laughing.  
“Yeah, whatever.” Sam shook his head. “I presume the kitchen hasn’t moved. I’m starving, c’mon.” He pulled you along, Steve following in your wake.  
Sam rifled through the kitchen, making sandwiches while recounting stories from DC and getting up to speed on the goings-on in the tower (including the most polite grilling you’d ever received, every invasive question feeling as mild as though he was just asking about the weather. It was impressive).  
Steve’s phone rang as Sam was getting to ‘but how does your healing work exactly’. The phone call was short, just long enough to take Steve’s face from laugher to a frown. He hung up, shaking his head.  
“I have to go, there’s an emergency meeting. I shouldn’t be long.”  
Sam nodded. “Take your time.”  
The interrogation continued once Steve left. Sam ended it, finally, with ‘how do you really like it here?’.  
The question made you pause, considering. You chose your words carefully. “It’s not… easy. But everyone is patient and nice and I like them. I just wish… it had happened differently. You know?”  
Sam nodded. He started to reply when there was a clatter from the entryway. You both looked up, startled.  
Peter was standing there, his backpack lying forgotten at his feet. You tipped your head, studying him. Nothing seemed to be immediately wrong with him.  
“You’re… You’re the Falcon.” He said, surprise and disbelief coloring his voice.  
Sam absolutely beamed. “I sure am. What’s your name?”  
“Peter. Spiderman. I’m- My name is Peter, I’m Spiderman.” He blushed.  
Sam considered. “Spiderman… Tony was telling me about you, says you’re a science whiz.”  
Peter’s blush deepened. “I mean, I wouldn’t-“  
“I would.” You leaned forward on the counter, grinning. “Peter’s sharp as a whip. He’s been working with Tony and Bruce, they’re both impressed with him.”  
You didn’t think it was possible, but his blush got a shade darker. If you kept this up, you feared he might turn the same color as his suit.  
“Yes, well, science, great.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “But you! You fly! I’ve seen the schematics for your wings-“  
“How-“ Sam started.  
“Stark.” You supplied.  
“-they’re not easy to use, and you fly like it’s what you were born doing!”  
“You fly too, I’ve seen footage of you and your webs.”  
Peter shook his head. “I fall with style. I have no ‘up’ if I don’t find a way to pull myself. But you, you make your own ‘up’!”  
Sam was silent for a moment, considering. “Want to go on a flight?”  
“I couldn’t-“ Peter started. Sam held up a hand, forestalling his protest.  
“You wouldn’t be wearing them. I hear you’re a good kid, but that’s never going to happen. I’ll take you up, though.” He grinned. Peter looked unsure, glancing at you.  
You sighed. “Sam, I know we just met, but if you drop my kid I’m going to have to do something terrible to you.”  
Sam looked horrified. “I would never drop- wait, your kid? You are not old enough to have a kid in high school, how…?”  
Peter grinned, his face slowly returning to its normal color. He walked closer, throwing an arm around you. You ruffled his hair.  
“He lives in a house with the Avengers, someone has to act like his mom. Some times.”  
Peter chuckled. “You do a very good job.”  
You mock-scowled. “Do you have homework?”  
“Nothing I can’t finish after dinner.” He tried not to laugh.  
“Then you can go flying. But be back in time for supper.” You went up on your toes, pecking him on the cheek and heading out of the kitchen. Sam was leaning on the counter, laughing. Peter just shook his head with a smile.  
You walked into the living room ten minutes later and heard distant yelling. Clint and Natasha were at the windows, watching something. You walked up next to them, looking out at the sky and tops of buildings. No one said anything.  
Then Sam flew by, holding a screaming Peter. It sounded like an excited scream.  
Clint shook his head, grinning. “I like this one. Can he move in?”


	4. Chapter 4

You inhaled and exhaled through your mouth, focusing on keeping your breathing steady. Three more laps around the gym and your cool-down run was over. Three more laps and you were free. You’d stripped off your sweat-soaked shirt half an hour ago and the breeze generated by your running felt so good on your stomach you could have cried. If there had been any liquid left in you.  
Two more laps. Clint and Natasha were playfully wrestling in the middle of the gym, waiting for you to be finished. You glanced up, watching Natasha swing herself around Clint’s shoulders before pushing off, executing a perfect flip and landing in a crouch behind him. He yelled something encouraging and she stuck her leg out, sweeping his feet out from under him. He went down with a squawk and she laughed. They were the only other people in the gym. It had been decided by majority vote that Thor would help train you when you were a little further along. It wasn’t that you didn’t want his help, he was wonderful and you enjoyed being around him, but he felt that lightning zaps were a wonderful motivator for running faster and you just weren’t there yet. Most days there were another Avenger or two training as well, but everyone had other projects this morning. You missed their presence even as you enjoyed how peaceful the gym was.  
One more lap. You picked up your pace a little bit, trying to challenge yourself. Your breathing and the beat of your shoes against the floor made a steady rhythm and you smiled despite yourself. The last few weeks had been hard, the coming weeks would only be harder. You still weren’t sure you wanted to be here, you damned sure still wished it had happened differently, but it wasn’t so bad. The Avengers were like a big, dysfunctional family and, even if you were the weird cousin who didn’t go on missions yet, they made it a point to include you in things. You were still finding your place in the tower, you knew you wouldn’t really find it until you started going on missions, until you were really part of the team, but adjusting to life with them wasn’t as hard as you’d feared.  
Your final lap completed, you braced your hands against your knees and tried to catch your breath. You weren’t as winded as you had been when you started, and if you had any energy left you would have felt a little glow of pride. As it was, you were just excited to have survived the morning. Clint walked up to you and patted your shoulder.  
“Good job today. Go get some water.” He smiled.  
Natasha walked up next to him, bumping him with her shoulder. “You are doing better. Tomorrow we bump up the sparring. Just a little.” She grinned at your stricken look.  
“I’m not offense.” You wheezed at her. She laughed.  
“No, but defense must be able to defend itself.” She patted your head and walked towards the doors, Clint following in her wake.  
You caught your breath enough to sigh and made your way to your bag and discarded shirt. You finished what little water was left in your bottle and wiped your face with a towel. Loki materialized next to you, the action no longer surprising to you. He wrinkled his nose.  
“You need a shower.” He observed with disdain.  
“So would you, if you trained with them.” You grumbled.  
“I would not.” He sniffed. “I am Asgardian, nothing on your world can make me sweat.”  
“Ah, yes, my mistake.” You side-eyed him, smiling. “We can’t all be gods, your majesty. Some of us are doomed to dampness.”  
“I shall forgive you.” He sighed.  
“How magnanimous of you.” You laughed.  
“Yes, well.” His stoic disdain broke and he smiled at you. “You should get cleaned up, I have been sent to fetch you.”  
You raised an eyebrow. “The mighty Loki, sent on an errand to fetch a mere mortal? Shall wonders never cease.”  
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, you are made of wit. And stink. Come on.”  
You laughed, slipping your shirt on and slinging your bag over your shoulder. Loki lead the way towards the doors. They opened when you were almost to them and Dr. Strange stepped in.  
You felt the frown form on your face. You had been overjoyed when you found out he didn’t live in the tower. He spent time here sure, meetings and consultations and sometimes he’d come over for movie night, but most of your time was spent blissfully free of him. He seemed to be fine with that, he hadn’t tried to talk to you outside of meetings. Not since the night in your office, when he had acknowledged that he should apologize but had never actually said ‘I’m sorry’. Maybe it was petty of you to hold on to that, but he’d turned your whole life upside down and hadn’t had the decency to ask your forgiveness.  
You were okay with petty.  
Dr. Strange looked at the two of you, the momentary confusion on his face smoothing into his normal vaguely interested expression.  
“(Y/N), Loki.” He inclined his head in greeting. You nodded yours in acknowledgement.  
Loki, however, broke into a wide grin. “How are you, my good doctor?” He stressed the last word, his grin widening ever so slightly at the flash of irritation on Strange’s face.  
“I am quite well.” Strange’s voice was clipped. He turned his attention to you, voice losing its edge. “Although I was hoping to have a word with you, (Y/N).”  
You made a sweeping gesture with your hand, raising an eyebrow.  
Strange flushed slightly, glancing to Loki. “Alone.”  
You felt Loki puff up next to you, putting himself between you and the doctor in perception if not in actuality. You smiled faintly, confident that he was doing it unconsciously, and reached out to rest a hand on his arm. He looked at you.  
“Why don’t I meet you in the hall? I’ll keep this short.” You smiled up at your friend and his expression darkened. He looked between you and Strange, obviously concerned, but nodded. He glowered at Strange as he brushed past.  
The door clicked shut and you looked at Strange expectantly. He gave you a small smile.  
“Thank you. I know we haven’t spoken much since you joined, I trust you find yourself well?” He cocked his head.  
“Well enough.” Your speech was formal, clipped. You were giving him the benefit of the doubt, that maybe he would at least acknowledge the extent of his wrong-doing, but that didn’t mean you had to be nice about it.  
He didn’t seem to register your shortness, his face brightened and he smiled in relief. “Excellent, I’m glad. I knew once you had a little time to settle in, you would see how rewarding it is.”  
Your chest tightened and you blinked. This was not the direction you had anticipated this going, although you weren’t entirely surprised. A slow anger began to build in your gut.  
He continued, obliviously. “I was hoping to talk to you about a favor I need. Healing magic is unfortunately not the option I’d hoped for, it would take too much concentration for me to-“  
You put up a hand, cutting him off. “You’re asking for a favor? For yourself?”  
He nodded.  
“Were you injured on a mission?” You asked, working to keep your voice even.  
“Oh, no.” He shook his head. “This is much older. I-“  
You stepped forward, putting yourself in his space and craning your neck to look into his eyes. He stopped, startled. “The first time you’ve spoken to me since you got me recruited, and you have the audacity to ask for a favor. Listen closely, I’ll only say this once.” You hissed, the adrenaline and anger flooding your system. “I will heal you from missions because I have to, but don’t ever mistake doing my job for kindness. You took away everything I worked for, got me thrown into this, and I don’t think I even register as a person to you. Just a useful skill.” He took a step back and you pressed forward, your voice even and low. “We are both on this team now. I will work with you, I will keep you alive. But I don’t have to like you.” You side-stepped and stalked out of the doors behind him. He stared after you, surprised and silent, and slid his hands into his pockets just before the doors swung shut.  
Loki was leaning against the wall to your left, studying the pattern on the ceiling and smiling faintly. You glared at him and he turned to you, an innocent expression on his face.  
“Done with your chat so soon?” He asked.  
You rolled your eyes. “Like you weren’t eavesdropping. C’mon, where are we going?”  
He grinned and pushed off the wall, strolling towards the elevators. “Well, first you’re going to shower. You still stink.” He shot you a grin. “Then the real fun starts.”  
Your scowl just made his grin widen.  
The elevator doors slid shut and he leaned back against the wall, not looking at you. “Are you okay?” He asked softly.  
You fidgeted. “Yeah, he’s just an ass.” You paused, quirking a smile at Loki. “As you heard.”  
He shrugged, smiling faintly. “Yes, well. That is the good doctor’s charm.” He chuckled. “He spends so much time watching the beyond, he forgets how to exist here.”  
You raised an eyebrow. “You sound sad for him.”  
Loki shrugged. “He spends his time with things that are not human. Stay like that too long and one will lose his humanity.” He chuckled at your scowl. “The good doctor is still no friend of mine, calm down. You continue to be my favorite in this war you have.”  
You sniffed, placated.  
Loki waited in your room while you showered, sprawling across your bed like a cat and snatching one of your books off the shelf. You dressed in the bathroom, coming out still toweling your hair. Loki was engrossed in the book, ignoring your arrival in favor of finishing the page. He glanced up at your chuckle, though.  
“You look terrible, you should spend more time getting ready.” He observed, returning his attention to the book.  
You laughed. “Do I? Or do you just want to borrow my book?”  
He hummed and glanced up again. “You look lovely, I will borrow the book.”  
“I thought so.” You hung the towel off the bathroom door, walking next to the bed and nudging Loki. “Where are we going?”  
He held up a hand, his index finger extended. He held it between you until he finished the paragraph, stealing a slip of paper from your bedside table and marking his place. He rolled off the bed, tucking the book under his arm.  
“It continues to be a surprise.” He smiled. You groaned.  
“You’re the worst.” You observed, linking arms with him.  
He inclined his head, considering. “Yes.”  
Loki insisted that you couldn’t watch the lights on the elevator so you spent the ride down staring at the ceiling. The ride felt long enough to be the lab level, and you felt a pang of pride at guessing right when you stepped off into a sterile hallway.  
Loki lead the way down the hall, ushering you into one of the labs in the back. Peter was leaning over Tony’s shoulder, staring at some paperwork he and Bruce were going over. Loki knocked on the doorframe and the three looked up in unison.  
“Ah, good, you’re here.” Bruce smiled, stepping around the table towards them. Peter grinned, walking up to you and bumping your shoulder with his.  
“You’re going to like this.” He smiled, nodding to Loki. The rest of the Avengers were still uneasy around him, but they were getting better. His on-going good behavior (read: lack of homicidal actions) contributed a lot, but your friendship with him was really speeding it up. As Peter had reasoned to you over homework one night, ‘anyone you’re friends with can’t be all bad’. It had been grudging, but he’d meant it.  
Loki wouldn’t admit it, but he was enjoying the change.  
Tony stood, hands braced on the table, and looked up at you with a smile. “Take your clothes off.”  
Bruce paled, Peter screeched and Loki snickered. You raised an eyebrow. “We’ve talked about this, you can’t say that.”  
Tony shrugged, pressing a button on the desk. The wall behind him slid open, revealing a storage panel. Hanging in the middle of the panel, boots sitting under it, was a muted blue suit that looked like it was your size. You grinned.  
“Pretty sure you’re going to have to take your clothes off to put that on, so…” Tony trailed off, grinning.  
Peter waved his arms, blushing and ducking his head. “There’s a changing room! Please do not take your clothes off!” He raced to another wall and pulled open a door, revealing the changing room. You chuckled and looked to Tony.  
He cocked his head at the suit. “Take it, go try it on.”  
“Are you saying I’m ready for field work?” You asked. He snorted.  
“Not by a long shot. We just want to make sure we’ve got the design right.”  
Bruce pulled the suit down, grabbing the boots and brought them to you. He grinned faintly as he handed them off.  
You stepped past Peter, giving him a sympathetic smile, and pulled the door shut. It wasn’t sound proof, you could hear him grumbling at Tony about his joke. It made you smile.  
You took your time getting into the suit, making sure everything allowed you a full range of motion. The boots were sturdy but moveable, lacing halfway up your calves. They had to have insoles, your feet sank in the bottoms comfortably. You took a little time to stretch, enjoying the way everything moved with you, before opening the door.  
“What do you think?” Tony asked.  
“It fits great.” You smiled. Bruce and Peter high-fived and Tony grinned.  
“It looks great.” Loki’s observation was dry but his smile was warm.  
“Gross.” Tony rolled his eyes, saving Peter from responding, and walked up to inspect the suit on you. “You have a full range of motion?”  
“As far as I can tell.”  
“Good.” He hit you in the chest. It didn’t knock you as far back as it should have. “It dampens hits, it's breathable. Doesn’t cover your hands.”  
You nodded. “Good, I’ll need skin contact.”  
“How does the healing process work, for you?” Bruce asked, carefully controlled excitement in his voice.  
You shrugged, watching Tony make his way around the suit and periodically hitting you. “I don’t have to touch the injury, but the closer my hands are the better. I need skin to skin contact. I find the injury, I knit everything back together and I feel a little tired afterwards.”  
Bruce nodded. “What’s the worst injury you’ve fixed?”  
You stopped, thinking. Tony punched your hip and you swatted at him. “Broken bones, a couple ruptured arteries… A gunshot wound, once.” Bruce raised an eyebrow. “Ricochet bullet hit a kid on the sidewalk down the street from a robbery, I was close enough to get to him. Kept him from bleeding out.”  
“The worse the injury, the worse the fatigue?” He asked. You nodded.  
“As far as I can tell, yeah.”  
He nodded, making a note.  
“We can’t build extra energy reserves into the suit for you.” Tony frowned.  
“We can build pockets.” Peter lit up. “Lots of pockets, for food. High in sugar, quick energy bursts. It won’t be great for you, but it’ll keep you running in a pinch.”  
You nodded. “I do like pockets.”  
Bruce made another note. Tony lifted your arm and you eyed him suspiciously. He tested your range of motion, nodding.  
“Okay, go ahead and change back.” Tony nodded, walking away for make some notes.  
You raised an eyebrow at Bruce. “It’s not field ready and neither are you. We’ll test it out a little more thoroughly next time.” He shrugged sympathetically.  
“Fair.” You nodded, heading for the changing room. It slid off as easily as it went on. The three scientists took the suit from you and shoo’ed you and Loki into the hall, turning back to their calculations and designs. You shook your head, smiling, as the door slid shut.  
“Well?” Loki asked.  
“I like it. Did it look good?” You smiled up at him and he chuckled.  
“It did.”  
“Then it’ll do.”  
“The next one will be better.”  
“The next one will have more pockets. More pockets are always better.”  
He laughed, ushering you onto the elevator.  
*  
You settled onto the couch next to Peter, reaching over to steal some of his popcorn. He grinned, sliding the bowl closer to you. Loki sat primly next to you and you wiggled closer to him, until his arm was pinned between the two of you.  
“What are you doing?” He asked dryly.  
“Making sure there’s enough room on the couch for everyone.” You beamed. Peter snorted, taking a soda from Tony as he sat on the teenagers’ other side.  
“The couch isn’t big enough for everyone.” Tony observed. You shrugged in response and Loki gently slid you a little further away from him.  
Thor grabbed a cushion, settling on the floor in front of his brother and leaning back onto your legs. You reached down, running your fingers through his short hair. He all but purred, closing his eye. Loki shot you a disgusted look.  
“Hey, you wanted to sit on the couch. You could have taken Thor’s spot and I could be spending the night braiding your hair, but no.” You shrugged. He grumbled something unintelligible, resettling himself next to you and bumping your shoulder. Thor laughed.  
Natasha and Clint settled on the loveseat, quietly debating something in a mix of Russian and ASL. You smiled, watching their hands fly. They were never still, especially not around each other.  
Bruce settled in an arm chair with his own bowl of popcorn, curling his legs under himself and looking perfectly at peace.  
Strange, who had shown up just before dinner at the behest of Steve, settled in the other armchair. He leaned back, cup of tea in hand, looking regal. You looked away quickly, feeling a ghost of the anger from earlier brush across you. You missed the unreadable look he gave you, but Loki didn’t and scowled at the other man. He noticed Loki and looked away, watching Steve walk into the room.  
Steve sat on the couch on Tony’s other side, making you all scoot down a little. You wiggled close enough to rest your head on Loki and he shot you a bemused look. Peter wrinkled his nose, leaning closer to you.  
“Hands where I can see them.” He hissed, eyeing you both. You and Loki looked stricken, but Thor threw his head back laughing. Everyone turned at the sound and Steve raised an eyebrow.  
“Please, don’t ask.” You cut Thor off, resting a hand on his head. “Are we all ready?”  
There was a chorus of assents around the room and Steve hit play on the remote. JARVIS turned the lights down and you all settled in to watch the movie.  
Roughly an hour and a half later, JARVIS brought the lights back up.  
Your legs were slung over Thor’s shoulders and he was still rubbing one of your feet, repayment for the scalp massage you’d been giving him. Peter wrinkled his nose, glaring at you, and Loki mirrored his expression when he noticed. You shrugged at them, wiggling your toes as Thor relinquished your feet.  
“What? I like foot rubs.”  
“Gross.” Peter stuck his tongue out.  
“Gross.” Loki nodded, shooting you a sour look.  
Thor laughed, standing up and stretching. You held your hands out and he pulled you up off the couch. You turned, collecting empty popcorn bowls and trash from the other Avengers before making your way into the kitchen. You set everything down on the counter, separating the soda cans and wrappers that had been stacked in the bowls. Someone set a tower of cups on the counter near you, starting to load them into the dishwasher.  
“Thank you.” You called to them, not looking up.  
“Of course, I’m happy to help.” Dr. Strange’s voice was quiet but it caused every muscle in your back to tense. You looked up, surprised. He gave you a small, nervous smile.  
You started to say something, realized that you didn’t know what to say and just went back to sorting trash and dumping out the popcorn kernels. If you were throwing the soda cans in the recycling a little more forcefully, well, who was to say.  
He plucked the empty bowls from between you, setting them in the dishwasher as well. You dropped the last can with a satisfying thunk and turned to leave.  
“I’m sorry.” The words stopped you in your tracks. “For earlier. You were right, it was rude of me to ask you for a favor when we’ve barely spoken since you joined.” You turned slowly, confused and half-convinced this was a hallucination. Strange was looking at you solemnly, hands clasped in front of him.  
“…Thank you.” You said, hesitantly.  
He inclined his head. He started say something else but thought better of it and turned his attention to the kettle on the stove. You paused a moment longer, then fled for the living room. The living room made sense.  
The jumble of people in the living room, all talking over each other and laughing, was starting to make sense. You smiled, faintly, and waded into the middle of it.


	5. Chapter 5

You were sitting on the couch reading, Loki’s legs draped across your lap, when the Avenger’s jet became visible in the distance.  
“(Y/N), Mr. Stark has requested that you report to the medical bay.” JARVIS called. You looked up, brows furrowed.  
“Okay Jarvis, I’ll head down. Do you know what I’m walking into?” This wasn’t the first time you’d been summoned after a mission. There had been a couple broken bones, a handful of bullet wounds to patch up and plenty of cuts and scrapes. They tried to be careful, but injury was in the job description. You pushed Loki’s legs off you, standing. JARVIS was quiet for a while, the jet rapidly growing larger out the window.  
“Mr. Stark is focused on flying and unable to answer, it appears someone is dying.” JARVIS finally replied.  
You ran.  
The elevator couldn’t take you down to medical fast enough, you stood right in front of the door bouncing on the balls of your feet, radiating impatience. Was it an Avenger? Was it the operative they had been sent to retrieve? Was it one of the people they had been working with? Was it burns, bullets, poison? Questions swirled in your head, unanswerable, and you felt a pull of anxiety in your gut. You weren’t going to know until it was right in front of you, nothing you did would change that, and you just silently hoped it wasn’t one of the team.  
The door opened and you flung yourself into the medical bay, racing to the table closest to the doors from the landing pad. You stripped off the sweater you’d been wearing and tossed it onto a chair, leaving you in your undershirt and jeans. Your arms were bare, you wanted as much as skin as you could. You waited, pacing the room and watching the doors.  
You had barely made five passes when the doors flew open, Tony and Steve pinning them to the wall as Dr. Strange raced in, levitating a strange man in front of him. The green light encasing him seemed to be some kind of time-loop, effectively keeping him in stasis until they could get him to the tower. Strange set him on the table, looking strained.  
“Once I remove the field, he will begin to die.” Strange did not look at you, keeping his focus on the man. “Are you prepared to work immediately?”  
“Yes.” Your voice was firmer than you expected. “Where is he hurt?”  
“Gut shot.” Tony supplied, stepping up next to Strange. “He’s bleeding out, started to go into shock.”  
You nodded. “Every one, stand back. I’m ready.” You lifted your hands over the green field, holding them approximately over his middle.  
“On three?” Strange glanced at you and you nodded. “Three. Two.” He hesitated, then dropped the field. You plunged your hands down, sliding them under the man’s torn shirt and wrapping them around his far side. Your forearms rested across his stomach, blocking some of the damage from sight. Strange let out a hiss of sympathy at the extent of it, but you barely heard him. You were working.  
Your senses seemed to slide out of your fingertips, burrowing their way into the man. Whatever they’d shot him with had been large, the damage was extensive. You started with his nervous system, his brain, gently coaxing it away from shock and into sleep. Sleep was better. Then you turned your focus to the blood loss, reconnecting veins and arteries, disentangling the ruined flesh. You patched holes, knitted him back together bit by bit. You couldn’t create something from nothing, couldn’t make up for the lost blood, but you made sure he wouldn’t lose any more of it. Keeping most of your focus on the immediate threat, you allowed a little tendril of attention to wander over him, searching for other injuries. They would have been easy to over-look. Cuts, scrapes, a fractured bone. You healed them almost as after-thoughts. Time no longer had meaning, you just kept working until finally, finally he was back in one piece. You straightened with a gasp, pulling your now blood-covered arms off him. You looked around in a daze, pleased to see someone had started transfusing him with blood.  
You took a step back and your legs promptly gave out from under you. Someone grabbed you, gently scooping you up and carrying you to a nearby table. It was getting harder to keep your eyes open, everything took so much effort and you were so tired. They said something as they laid you down, you couldn’t make out the words but the feeling of the rumble in their chest was reassuring. You passed out as soon as your back hit the table.  
*  
Peter was sitting next to you when you came to. One of his textbooks was sitting open on the table next to you, he was staring at it but not seeing it. You blinked, watching him, and sighed.  
“Don’t you have a test this week?” You asked, your voice gravely. Peter jumped, whirling to look at you. His face broke into a grin.  
“Yes-but-it-doesn’t-matter.” It came out like one word as he threw his arms around you. “What happened? You’ve never passed out before.”  
“Yes.” Dr. Banner stepped into the room, clipboard in hand. Tony and Steve flanked him, Dr. Strange a step behind them. “What happened?”  
You pushed yourself up onto your elbows, trying to regard them. It took too much effort and you fell back down, grateful that someone had slid a pillow under your head. “You’ve never brought me a dying man before.”  
Dr. Banner tipped his head. “Fair. ‘The severity of the injury dictates the amount of energy needed’, isn’t that what you said?”  
“Yes, but that’s not how I said it.” You smiled, trying to tease him. They all looked so worried. “How is he?”  
“He’s going to be fine, thanks to Strange’s quick thinking and your healing.” Tony leaned against the counter, crossing his arms. He nodded to both of you. “Good work.”  
“Who is he?” You asked, before the conversation could veer.  
“The operative we were recovering.” Steve sighed. “He’s been undercover for years, getting intel. Things were going south, we were sent in to get him and right as we were leaving we got ambushed.” He shook his head. “Almost blew the whole mission.”  
You nodded. “And he’s fine now?”  
Dr. Banner raised an eyebrow. “Are you asking because you have forgotten asking that a second ago, or because you are very worried?”  
“Very worried. That was a lot of damage.”  
Dr. Strange nodded. “He’s fine, he’s just sleeping now. We did a couple scans while you were out, it doesn’t look like you missed anything.”  
You nodded, too tired to take offense and honestly kind of relieved that they’d made sure. “Good.”  
“You should rest a little more.” Dr. Banner set a bottle of fruit juice and a sleeve of cookies on the table next to you. He colored slightly at your raised eyebrow. “I don’t know the best method to combat your fatigue but boosting your blood sugar couldn’t hurt.”  
You nodded, trying to sit up again and finally succeeding. “Thank you.”  
He smiled. “Now, if you will excuse me, I should return to monitoring our patient.” He turned and left, his shoes tapping off down the hall.  
Steve nodded to you, before following after Bruce.  
Tony reached over, resting a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “A deal’s a deal, kid.” Peter frowned.  
You looked at them, questioning.  
“He got to sit with you until you woke up. Now he has to go study for that test.” Tony shot him a look and Peter sighed, leaning down to hug you one more time.  
“If you need anything, anything, I’ll get it for you. Okay?” He asked, the corners of his eyes still drawn with worry.  
You ruffled his hair. “I need you to pass that test.” You laughed at his groan. “I promise I’m fine, I was just a little extra tired. You don’t need to worry.”  
He nodded, allowing Tony to steer him out of the room. Which left you, alone, with Strange.  
Not really where you wanted to find yourself, but you weren’t sure your legs would hold your weight just yet so you didn’t really see a way to fix the situation.  
He reached out, picking up the bottle of juice and breaking the seal before handing it to you. “Drink. That took a lot more out of you than you’ve admitted.”  
You raised an eyebrow at him but accepted the bottle, taking a long drink.  
“Comparatively, everything you’ve healed until now has been minor. I wasn’t… I wasn’t sure you could bring back a man from the brink of death.”  
You started to bristle, then sighed. You were tired, everything felt tired. The insides of your bones felt tired. It was not a pleasant sensation. Instead, you nodded. “I wasn’t sure I could either, but I had to try.”  
He nodded, folding his arms across his chest. “What is it like when you heal someone?”  
The question caught you off-guard. You took another sip of juice, buying yourself a moment to think. “What do you mean?”  
“Were I to heal someone, it would take concentration. I would be making a change to the way things are and it would require me to keep focus on that change. I couldn’t save his life because I would spend the rest of mine keeping him whole.” He tipped his head to the side. “It can’t be like that for you.”  
“It’s not.” You shook your head. “It’s like… It’s like diving into a swimming pool. One moment I’m in my body, the next I’m floating in their body and I can find every cut and scrape. I can feel them. Their body uses my energy to accelerate their healing process.”  
He nodded. “That’s why you’re so tired. Are you aware of the outside world when you’re healing?”  
You wobbled your hand. “For smaller things, yes. I can carry a conversation while fixing a scrape. For bigger things, no. It takes too much effort, there’s too much going on.”  
He nodded, thinking. You broke open the sleeve of cookies, feeling your body regain strength as you chewed. You watched him from the corner of your eye, his apology at the last movie night had bought him some good will from you. You were still mad, he still hadn’t apologized for invading your privacy, but he’d shown himself capable of registering emotions outside his own. At least a little. You chewed another cookie, thoughtfully.  
Finally, he shook his head, laughing quietly.  
“What’s funny?” You asked, tipping your head.  
“Ah, I trained for years to find out that kind of healing can’t be taught. You have what I wish I could do and you tried to run from it.” He smiled faintly, still shaking his head.  
You swallowed hard, weighing your options. You had enough energy to yell, but it would leave you at square one. You didn’t have enough energy to storm out, yet. You closed your eyes and sighed. “If I could give it to you I would.”  
He looked surprised. “Why would you give it up? Surgeons work their whole lives for what you can do with a genetic anomaly.” He shook his head again, bemused. “Pure chance.”  
You tensed your legs and they felt floaty, still not ready. You looked up at him, allowing your exhaustion to show on your face. “Just because I won the genetic freak lottery doesn’t make this a gift.”  
“But it is! I dedicated my life to magic in the hope that I could learn to do what you were born with, this power that you didn’t even want to acknowledge! If I could heal people the way you do, I’d be singing it from the rooftops.” He gestured to himself. “Instead, all my years of work have brought me here. I’m so much more than I ever thought possible, but that one thing still eludes me. And you just waltz in, ready to cast it aside. You should be grateful for this opportunity given to you, to use your gift to help the world. It is respectable.”  
You did not waste energy yelling, you just sighed. “Maybe if you had been born with a mutation you would understand, it’s not all flowers and sunshine and ‘using-your-gift-as-god-intended’.” You looked up at him. “It’s great to know that you don’t respect me, you respect what I can do. Because it’s what you wanted. I’m a person, not a tool. Unlike you.” You slammed your hands down on the table, using the momentum to stand. Your legs wobbled but you kept your weight on your hands, disguising your weakness until your legs adjusted. “I am not a thing to be used. Unlike, I think, most things in your life. Maybe if you bothered to get to know me you would understand me a little better. Maybe not.” You tested your legs, they could finally hold weight. You took one careful step after the other, pausing at the door.  
“Good day, doctor.”  
You fled to the elevator, forcing your legs to hold you upright until the doors closed. Even though Strange didn’t come out of the room after you, you refused to allow even the possibility that he would see your legs wobble. But the moment the door closed, you slid down the wall and sat.  
You were still so tired, and now there was a headache building behind your eyes from the tension in your body.  
How could he be so obtuse. How could he still, still!, not acknowledge you as a person. Capable of your own thoughts and feelings and decisions, that didn’t always agree with his. The Sanctum was designed around him, making his defense of the world easier, and obviously it had bled into how he related to everything. You hit the wall, irritated. How could he not see past your mutation. How could he not understand that you hadn’t asked for this.  
You tipped your head back, groaning.  
“(Y/N).” JARVIS said, tone careful. “Are you in distress?”  
“No.” You sighed. “I’m just still tired.”  
“Mr. Odinson is in the living room, I can ask him to-“  
“Please don’t. I’ll be okay, Jarvis. I promise.”  
He hummed disbelievingly and you smiled at the humanness of the sound. As the elevator slowed, you carefully pulled yourself up. When the doors opened you walked out normally, although a little slower.  
Thor glanced up at you from the couch, smiling. “I heard you saved a man’s life today.”  
You gave him a small smile, nodding.  
“We should celebrate! This is your first life saved, is it not?”  
“I mean…” You paused, panicking. You weren’t up for what the Asgardian considered a celebration.  
Steve came down the stairs, regarding Thor. “I don’t think she’s up for celebrating just yet, it took a lot out of her.” He looked to you for confirmation.  
You nodded gratefully. “Quite a lot. Once I’m a little more myself, we’ll celebrate then.”  
Thor nodded, placated. “Rest well, then.”  
“Thanks.” You mumbled as you passed Steve. He touched your shoulder, smiling gently.  
You took the stairs carefully and all but fell into your bed.  
You were so tired, and only most of it had to do with recovering from saving the operative.


	6. Chapter 6

You twisted in your hips, bringing your arm around in a tight arc that sent the punching bag swinging backwards. It had barely swung back to its starting position when you landed the next blow, sending it away from you again. You circled the bag, trying to channel every iota of anger you’d ever had into the blows.  
Natasha said to fight clean, to not let your emotions color your actions. Control was key, never let it get away from you. You listened to her, most days.  
This wasn’t most days.  
You tried not to sink into your thoughts on the anniversary of your family disowning you, and every year that got a little easier. Not a lot, but a little. Your knee connected with the bag and you grinned. This year was a little easier than most.  
It had been a couple hours now, and your energy was finally starting to wane. You’d picked the off-hours for the gym, the rest of the Avengers were in a meeting that should be getting out any time now. You had distracting yourself down to a science, once you were done here it was on to the mountain of paperwork you’d been saving up for today, then take-out and drinking heavily alone in your room. By tomorrow, you could make yourself forget. Make yourself focus on everything else. But today…  
Today, your parents voices rang fresh in your ears and while you could never split a punching bag like Steve could, you were damn well going to try.  
Your hits were getting lighter, though, and before long someone else was going to wander in. You wiped your brow with your forearm, bringing it back and around into an upper cut that didn’t land as hard as it had before. You sighed, reaching out to steady the swinging bag and bringing it to a stop. It had been a nice distraction, while it lasted.  
You grabbed your shirt from where you’d thrown it and dropped it in your bag, leaning your back against the wall and beginning the process of unwrapping your hands. You were so absorbed in removing the first wrap neatly, you’d air them out in your room later and it would easier if you didn’t have to de-tangle them from everything else in your bag, that you didn’t realize you were no longer alone.  
A surprised sound knocked you out of your reflection and you looked up. Dr. Strange had come in the door near you, dressed in running leggings and sleeveless shirt, and was carefully staring at the floor as a slow blush crept its way up his neck.  
“(Y/N).” He said, his voice sounding strangled.  
“Doctor.” Yours was icy. Of course. It was today, of course you’d run into him.  
He glanced up at you then quickly away, the blush starting to reach his cheeks. You felt your brow furrow in confusion, you’d never seen the doctor blush.  
“Don’t worry, I was just leaving.” You supplied, glancing in the direction he was looking. There was nothing but weights and a couple treadmills. You finished pulling off the first wrap, tucking the bundle into the thumb hole, and set it in your bag. On top of your shirt. Which you were not wearing.  
Oh. Oh, no.  
You glanced down, starting to unwrap your other hand on autopilot. Definitely not wearing a shirt. Definitely just wearing a sports bra and leggings. You focused on unwrapping your hand, watching the doctor from the corner of your eye. He glanced at you one more time, visibly swallowed, and began walking towards the treadmills.  
“As you will, I was headed this way anyway.” His reply was both prim and strangled, he all but fled for the other side of the room.  
Your discomfort at him seeing you less than fully clothed was mitigated somewhat by how uncomfortable it made him. You managed to not laugh as he picked the treadmill furthest from you and stared straight ahead. You finished rolling your wrap, tucking it together as you had the last one, and slipped your bag over your shoulder. The door closed soundlessly behind you and your trek to your room was uninterrupted.  
You took a long shower, reveling in the sound of the water and the feel of it cascading over you. It wasn’t loud enough to drown out your thoughts, but when you stuck your head into the spray it almost was.  
Monster. They’d called you a monster.  
“What are you?” Your father asked, his voice low and dangerous as he put himself between you and your mother. She was wrapping herself around your brother, staring at you fearfully. “What’s wrong with you?”  
“I’m… I’m me, I’m (Y/N).” You’d looked up at him, not comprehending. “I’m your daughter.”  
He'd made a sound, like a cornered animal. “No child of mine would be one of those freaks.” He growled. Tears stung your eyes. You stepped forward, reaching out to them. To your brother. Your mother had pulled him away, wrapping herself even tighter around him.  
“Get back, monster.” She hissed. “Go away.”  
Your father stepped in front of them, blocking them from view. “Go.”  
“Dad.” You whispered.  
“I’m not your father. Get out of my house.” His voice echoed in your memory.  
“(Y/N), you have a visitor.” JARVIS’ voice cut through your memory, and the sound of the shower. You groaned.  
“Can you tell them to go away?” You pulled your head out far enough to call. There was silence for a moment.  
“I’m afraid Mr. Laufeyson is very insistent on speaking to you. Shall I let him in?” JARVIS asked. You sighed, reaching to shut off the shower.  
“Fine, but tell him I’ll be a minute.” You dried off quickly, pulling on the sweater and clean leggings you’d brought in with you. Loki was sitting on your bed when you emerged.  
You cocked your head at him, questioning.  
“They’ve cleared me for field operations.” He grinned. You squealed, throwing yourself at him and wrapping your arms around his neck.  
“They did?!” You asked, elated. He nodded, looking almost smug.  
“Nothing big, nothing near population centers. Small, middle-of-nowhere runs, but it’s outside the tower.” He grinned.  
“That’s wonderful!” You cheered.  
He smiled at you. “You need to hurry up and get buff so they’ll send you out with me.”  
“I’m working on it.” You laughed.  
He grinned, about to say something snappy, and paused. His eyebrows furrowed. “Why are your eyes red?”  
You flushed, looking down. “I don’t know?”  
He tipped your head back up, concerned. “(Y/N)?”  
“No.” You sighed. “This is a happy day for you, I don’t want to…” You flapped your hands uselessly.  
“(Y/N).” He repeated, a little more forcefully.  
You broke eye contact first, muttering something under your breath. “It’s the anniversary of my parents disowning me.”  
“Ah.” Loki said softly, twining his fingers with yours. “I am sorry.”  
You shrugged, swallowing back tears. “It’s not your fault.”  
He squeezed your hands. “I am still sympathetic. Do you want to talk about it?”  
You bit your lip, thinking. “No? Kind of. I don’t know, I haven’t talked about it before.”  
“They disowned you because of your mutation and you could never talk about it because no one ever knew.” He nodded, understanding dawning.  
“Yeah.” You looked down. “That.”  
He nudged you. “Tell me.”  
You sighed, tightening your fingers around his. “I was sixteen, my brother was twelve. We were outside, he was doing something stupid and I was reading. He fell and broke his leg, it was terrible. The bone was sticking out. I panicked and grabbed him, I fixed it. I was fixing him when our parents ran out and they saw me. They pulled me off him, got between me and the house. They… called me a monster, said I wasn’t their child.” You shook your head, refusing to go further into it. “They threw me out. I moved in with my friend, for a while. Bounced around a lot until I got into college.”  
Loki leaned forward, tapping his forehead to yours. “They were wrong, you are not a monster.” You started to say something and he shook his head. “And that is their loss. You are our family now, and we will not give you up for anything.”  
You felt the tears starting to fall down your face. “Loki.” You tried to laugh it off, your voice just came out gummy.  
“You are my best friend, possibly my only friend. You mean much to me, and I know the others feel similarly.” He squeezed your hands. “You are Peter’s Avenger-mother, he would web the entire city for you.”  
You sniffled, looking up at him sadly. He smiled, disentangling your hands and pulling you to him. He leaned back on your bed, pulling you with him, and you rested your head on his chest. He sighed.  
“I am sorry you had to suffer such hurt, such a blow to your sense of self.”  
You shrugged against him. “It makes me really appreciate my family now.”  
Loki chuckled, ruffling your hair.  
*  
You woke up a couple hours later, still laying on your bed. Loki had propped himself up on your pillows, one arm wrapped around your waist as you laid across him. He was carefully holding open a book with his other hand, having to set it on the bed next to him to turn the pages. You could tell by the crease in his brow that the added step was annoying him.  
You smiled, shifting. He looked down at you, concern flickering across his face.  
“How are you feeling?” He asked gently.  
“Guess I wore myself out.” You chuckled. “I was at the gym for… a while, earlier.”  
He nodded. “A little sleep is good for you. You Midgardians are like your technology, sometimes it helps to turn it off and back on again.”  
You snorted. “And Asgardian technology doesn’t need that?”  
“No. Asgardians can run forever.” He shrugged. “One of the many ways in which we are better.”  
You nudged him, trying to hide your smile. “Then I suppose I should be grateful that you seem fond of inferior technology.”  
“Yes, you should be.” He nodded. “You should also be grateful that I am willing to forgive how utterly atrocious this book is.” He lightly tossed the book he’d been reading down the bed, away from him.  
You laughed. “You made it a fair ways in, are you sure you didn’t secretly like it?”  
“Quite, it was the only one I could reach without jostling you.” He paused, face softening. “You seemed like you needed some rest.”  
You blushed, sitting up. “Thank you. What time is it?”  
Loki looked towards the ceiling.  
“7:10pm.” JARVIS supplied.  
“Thank you, Jarvis.” You called.  
“We missed dinner.” Loki observed.  
“We missed formal dinner.” You stood up, rolling your shoulders against new knots. “C’mon, I’ll cook us something.”  
Loki raised an eyebrow. “You cook? I’ve never seen you cook.”  
You looked at him, bemused. “We’ve never missed formal dinner, why would I cook here?”  
He groaned. “Please stop calling it that.”  
“I feel that a dinner where everyone sits down and eats together is very formal. Ergo, formal dinner.” You replied primly, putting on socks.  
“A formal dinner involves finery and speeches, and a lot more people than can live in this tower.” Loki shook his head. “You have no idea. So many people. It’s terrible.”  
You laughed, waving him out the door. He followed you to the kitchen and took a seat at the counter, continuing to explain how formal dinners worked. Somewhere after ‘visiting dignitaries’, it just turned into stories from growing up in the palace and you listened as you cooked.  
“-and that’s when I turned into a bird and flew out the window.” Loki chuckled to himself. “I don’t think Lady Sif ever truly forgave me that one.”  
“She did not.” Thor rumbled from behind him, causing him to jump. “But I believe she got you back for it at the next ball, even though it almost caused a war.”  
Loki stared at his brother. “The incident with the dignitaries from Sollys was Sif’s doing?”  
Thor shrugged, sitting down next to his brother. “Who can say, but it certainly looked like her handiwork.” Loki was silent, reflecting, and Thor turned to you. “That smells amazing, what is it?”  
“Curry.” You smiled at him over your shoulder. “Do you want some?”  
He nodded.  
“What kind of curry?” A voice from the ceiling asked, almost making you drop the spoon you were holding. You looked up and Peter unstuck one hand from the ceiling to wave. “Sorry, I smelled food and when I heard Loki telling stories I was worried he’d stop if I walked in.”  
You chuckled, shaking your head. “Panang, with chicken. If you come down from there, I’ll give you some.”  
His face lit up and he dropped off the ceiling, landing in a crouch next to the wall.  
“Didn’t you eat dinner?” You eyed him. He shrugged.  
“I’m a growing boy, I need food.” He perched on the chair next to Thor, watching you intently.  
“That’s fair.” You turned back to the stove, smiling faintly as the three of them started discussing something that involved a lot of broad hand gestures from Peter. You half-listened, interjecting periodically, but you focused more on the curry. And on your thoughts. Trying not to be introspective today was like trying to pet a goose, it wasn’t going to happen and trying was just going to get you hurt.  
Mostly you thought about family. About what family means. ‘The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb’, you snorted at the old saying. Birth family hadn’t meant anything to you in a long time, but this… You glanced at the three men sitting at the counter. Well, two men and Peter. You weren’t ready to move beyond your thinking of him as the wayward high school student that had found his way into your office, and he wasn’t pushing you to.  
This was becoming your family. Your weird, dysfunctional, mixed-up family. You smiled to yourself, holding that little ember of happiness in your heart.  
The curry seemed to cook faster when your attention was split between the stove and bickering. Before you knew it, you were setting steaming bowls down on the counter and sliding onto the chair next to Peter.  
Thor and Peter bent their heads to demolishing the food, making noises that sounded like praise. Loki took a small bite, chewing thoughtfully, before looking over at you.  
“It does not taste like poison. It will do.” His voice and bearing were prim, but his eyes sparkled as he teased you.  
You laughed, your heart feeling full for the first time in years.  
*  
“(Y/N).” JARVIS called, pulling your attention away from the puzzle you were working on. “Mr. Rogers has requested your presence in the medical lab.”  
“It’s never not funny when you say that, Jarvis.” You smiled. “What’s going on?”  
“Mr. Laufeyson has a broken arm.”  
“What?” You snapped, standing fast enough to knock your chair over. You side-stepped it, racing for the elevator. “What happened?”  
JARVIS was quiet as you leapt into the elevator. Your back was stick-straight and you radiated tension, willing the elevator to go faster. You were a couple of floors from the lab when he spoke up.  
“(Y/N), I’m afraid I cannot get a straight answer. Mr. Rogers laughed when I asked him and Mr. Laufeyson said something foul.” A little of the tension drained out of you, if they weren’t worried it couldn’t be too bad. Right?  
“Thank you for trying, Jarvis.”  
The doors slid open and you made your way to the table closest to the landing pad doors, again. It was almost to the point you could walk there with your eyes closed.  
You rolled your sleeves up, leaning against the counter to wait. You weren’t waiting long, the door banged open and Loki strode in muttering under his breath. One arm was strapped across his chest, hand resting on the opposite shoulder, and the outline of it bulged in a couple places it shouldn’t. You winced in sympathy.  
He turned to you, scowling. You pointed to the table and he sat down. Steve walked in, smiling faintly.  
“You’ve got him?” Steve asked and you nodded. “We’re headed to the debriefing, have Jarvis call if you need us.”  
You turned back to Loki as Steve left, shaking your head and taking his uninjured hand. You squeezed it reassuringly before letting your focus drift to his injuries.  
His arm was broken in two places, clean breaks that wouldn’t be hard to put back together. As you knit the bones together, you sent out a tendril of consciousness to look for anything else. A few cuts and scrapes, a few bruises that were starting to form, all easy fixes. You pulled back when his arm was whole, looking at him speculatively.  
He glowered, looking away.  
“Was it really that bad?” You asked, trying to keep your tone gentle.  
“Yes.” He growled.  
“You know I’m going to find out from one of the guys?”  
He sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “I tripped.”  
You paused. “What?”  
“I tripped.”  
“Loki, if you’re going to lie to me, I’ll just ask Steve.”  
He scowled at you. “I’m telling the truth. I was invisible, trying to get to the other side of this giant homunculus that was sent after us and I caught myself on a root.”  
You frowned. “That doesn’t sound like you.”  
“No? Well, it’s the truth.”  
“…Is it all of the truth?”  
Loki was silent, not looking at you. You gently wrapped your arms around his shoulders.  
“Loki.” You wheedled.  
He sighed. “The homunculus was headed after Parker, I got distracted making sure he was getting out of the way.” Looking down at you, he frowned. “I know you’d be heart-broken if any harm came to the boy.”  
You nodded. “I would be. I am also very distraught by you coming to harm, however.”  
“We can’t get everything we want, dear.”  
You sighed, resting your forehead on his shoulder. “Ain’t that the truth.”  
He reached up to pat your head, watching his hand. “You are very handy with that magic touch of your yours.”  
You snorted softly. “I guess.”  
He patted your head with his now un-broken arm, making you chuckle.


	7. Chapter 7

You crouched, focusing on your breathing. Thor slid into a fighting stance across from you, grinning.  
This was not like before, when you were sprinting around the gym, desperately dodging lighting bolts while Thor yelled brotherly encouragement from the center of the gym (that had been the first time you’d hugged Loki, catching him by surprise. You’d left the gym staticky and on-edge, racing for his room. He'd opened the door and you’d thrown yourself into his arms, mumbling a litany of ‘I understand now’ and ‘how did you survive childhood’ and ‘he just kept laughing’. It had taken a moment for Loki to figure it out, to get over his initial shock at being touched, but he had chuckled and patted your head). This was not a speed trial. Natasha and Clint had been upping your sparring and, while you couldn’t beat them (probably never would), you were getting better. They were finding you new challenges.  
Thor’s eye began to glow and the air crackled around him.  
This was a new challenge.  
You gulped and sprang to the side as the first lightning bolt hit where you’d been standing. You rolled over your shoulder, using the momentum to carry you back to your feet. You whirled, spinning out of the way of the next lightning bolt. It was like a dance. A dance that could very well end with you being electrocuted.  
You jumped, diving head first over the next bolt, landing on your hands and pushing yourself through the flip Natasha had shown you a thousand times. You spun, ducking under the next bolt. Rolled again.  
Training had been getting increasingly harder. You’d gone from strength building, stamina building and running (so much running), to sparring and obstacle course runs. Steve had come in a few times, you’d ended up climbing him more than fighting him, the man was built like a brick house. But he’d thrown you enough times that you’d learned to tuck and roll and use the momentum to spring back at your opponent. You’d gotten the hang of Natasha and Clint’s hand-to-hand training. You’d never be on their level, but you could hold your own. You’d even managed to last against both of them for a few minutes. When Clint helped pull you off the floor, while Natasha had gone for ice and something to soak up the blood, he’d pointed out that you don’t have to win. You just have to survive long enough for someone to come get you. It had been chilling and reassuring at the same time.  
You were getting closer to Thor, ducking and weaving through his electricity gauntlet. After the third time you’d sparred with him, Natasha had declared flying unfair. His grounding had made it a hundred times easier on you; even if you didn’t win, now there was the possibility.  
Even your healing was improving, every broken bone and bullet wound the team came back with was a chance to practice. You hadn’t had another life-threating injury, not since the undercover operative, but you felt more confident in your ability to bounce back afterwards.  
You slid past a particularly large bolt of lightning, the hairs on your arm standing straight up. You were so close to Thor. The lightning fell around him like a curtain, you danced back out of the way, and when it dissipated you dove forward. His swing landed his forearm in your sternum, it winded you but you used it to flip yourself over. You dropped to one knee, avoiding the punch that followed it. You slid between his legs, coming up behind him, and side stepped as he turned to grab you. You slid around his blindside, standing in front of him, and poked him the chest. He turned back to you, blinked and the lightning in his eyes disappeared. His face broke into a huge grin as he swept you up in a hug.  
“You did it! You got me!” He cheered, shaking you back and forth. You laughed as best you could with no air in your lungs, hugging him back.  
Still holding you aloft, he turned to Natasha and Clint. “Did you see? She did it!” You turned your head to grin at them, your look fading to surprise when you realized Steve and Loki were standing with them.  
Steve nodded. “We did see. Bring her here, please.” Thor walked over, setting you down in front of them.  
“You know Tony has been working on your suit?” Steve asked. You nodded. “It’s done, and we-“ he gestured to himself and your trainers, “think you’re ready to start coming out with us.”  
You blinked. “But I can’t-“  
“You’re not offensive, you don’t have to.” Natasha shook her head, recognizing the start to the argument you two had had a thousand times.  
“What if-“ You tried again.  
“Small missions to start, to get you used to them.” Clint smiled, knowing the arguments by heart. “We’ll be there, you’ll be fine.”  
You sighed. “Arguing is pointless?”  
“Arguing is pointless.” Steve smiled. “You’re going to do fine.”  
“When do we leave?”  
“Tomorrow morning, we’re taking out some arms dealers. The briefing is in your room. Loki’s sole objective is to guard you.” He shot Loki a hard look, Loki inclined his head.  
“My lady, please allow your dutiful knight to escort you to your rooms.” Loki said sarcastically, offering you his arm. You smiled, smothering your laughter as you took it.  
Steve snorted. “Get some rest tonight, you’ll need it.”  
You nodded, allowing Loki to lead you out of the gym.  
*  
The docks were enshrouded in fog, reducing visibility to only a few feet in any direction. There had been talk in the plane of calling the mission off, but Natasha brought up the point that this was the only time four heads of arms dealing families were guaranteed to be together. No one knew when you might get a second chance. So, everything proceeded as planned.  
You and Loki were crouched behind a cargo container, behind the main building the rest of the team was infiltrating. You could see the glow of the lights on the side of the building, could barely make out its shape in the fog, but any detail was lost in the haze. Sound seemed to come through alright, though there wasn’t much beyond the lapping of the sea against the dock.  
Finally, you heard cars. Distant at first, growing louder. The slam of car doors, voices. You tensed, feeling your heartrate pick up. Loki rested a hand on your shoulder, eyes narrowed as he stared into the gloom.  
There were muffled sounds from the building, something that might have been laughter. Nothing definite. Nothing close. Then, finally, gunfire. Loki drew you further behind the shipping container, peering cautiously around the side.  
A car started on the other side of the building, followed by squealing tires. They were quickly cut off by a terrible crunch, the crackle of lightning and yelling. Loki rolled his eyes.  
Dimly, you became aware of footsteps drawing closer. You huddled against the side of the container, willing yourself into invisibility. Loki stepped back to stand beside you, resting his hand on your shoulder and muttering something under his breath. Your skin tingled as his spell settled over the both of you. You looked at him and he shook his head, pressing a finger to his lips.  
A man, holding a gun at his hip, turned the corner. He kept glancing behind him, as if expecting something to come out of the fog after him. He pressed his back against the container and sighed, only a few feet from you. You hardly dared to breath, watching his chest rise and fall. Loki pulled you into a crouch, reaching out with the hand that wasn’t on your shoulder. The air around his hand seemed to shimmer as his spell came to life.  
“Shit!” The yell came from the other end of the container and you clamped a hand over your mouth to keep yourself from screaming in surprise. The man with the gun whipped around, firing, and Loki threw himself over you. The firing finally stopped and Loki stood, taking his hand off you. He snapped his fingers and the man with the gun began to scream, beating at himself with his hands as though trying to put out a fire. He ran into the fog, although the screaming stopped not long after. Loki muttered something under his breath about Midgardians and their fondness for projectiles, but you weren’t paying much attention. You had turned to see who had yelled.  
There was a man lying on the ground. You crept closer, cautious. He was wearing flannel, thick pants, scratched boots, nothing like the weapons dealers your team was looking for. You inched closer, finally seeing the dock emblem on his shirt pocket. You exhaled harshly, he was just a worker that had been in the wrong place. You reached out, sliding your hands into the neck of his shirt. His skin was warm and your hands moved with the rise and fall of his chest, but his eyes didn’t open. There were two growing spots of red on his clothes.  
“What are you doing?” Loki hissed behind you.  
“He’s a dock worker.” You hissed back, starting to reach yourself out to find the bullet wounds.  
“So?” Loki whispered, right behind you.  
“He’ll die.” You whispered back. Loki huffed. “Just keep watch.”  
There, one in his side and one in his leg. The rest of the shots had missed. Between the poor visibility and the panic gripping the other man, you weren’t surprised. You tried to keep your wits about you as you stopped the bleeding, beginning to knit his muscles back together, but the work took focus. It was fine, Loki was there. If anyone would keep you safe, it was the very dour Asgardian angrily muttering under his breath.  
It couldn’t have taken more than three minutes. The gun had been a small caliber, nothing that was hard to clean up after, and you’d gotten to him fast enough that he hadn’t lost enough blood to worry you. Nothing like the operative you’d saved. You pulled your hands back, wiping them on your pants and shaking your head to clear it.  
There was a sound. Footsteps? You leaned forward, listening, and the shapes that appeared out of the fog caught you by surprise. They resolved into men and you fell backwards as the first one began to beat at himself, much like the man with the gun. Loki strode past you, hands reaching and pushing. The next man fell, screaming and clawing at his throat. The one behind him looked up and up, his eyes widening, and dropped to the ground without a whisper. The fourth man made it close enough to draw back a fist before Loki split into three and surrounded him.  
None of them had gotten close to you or the man you were kneeling over and you breathed a sigh of relief. You were trying so hard to ignore how scared you were and watching Loki fight, watching him throw illusion after illusion, almost set you at ease.  
Loki consolidated into one, stepping back from the prone form of the man who’d tried to punch him, and turned to look at you. His eyes widened and he started to yell.  
It was the last thing you saw before a blinding pain in the back of your head sent you into darkness.  
*  
You woke up on a bed in the medical labs, the white ceilings becoming unfortunately familiar. You were confident you were alone, although your head hurt too much to turn it to check. Dimly, you became aware of raised voices down the hall.  
“-why you’re concerned, but she was doing her job.”  
“Her job is not getting a concussion in the field, her job is healing people. She can do that just fine from the tower.”  
“Not in an immediate emergency, that’s why we’ve been training to bring her with us. Everyone’s first mission is a little rocky.” Steve, that was definitely Steve. You strained to hear the other voice.  
“And she doesn’t have a concussion, she was just knocked out. She’ll have a headache for a while, but she’s going to be fine.” Dr. Banner, his voice was unmistakable.  
“Is she? Or is she going to get herself killed?” You couldn’t place the third voice and it was bothering you.  
“We are there with her, we-“  
“Loki was right next to her and she got hurt!” The voices were drawing closer. You closed your eyes.  
“There were too many combatants to focus on at once. We didn’t anticipate-“  
“Exactly! You can’t anticipate everything! What if next time is worse? What if next time she’s-“  
“Stephen, please.” Steve sighed and your chest clenched. Strange wanted you off the team? “I understand your concern, I really do. She’s a valuable team member. But she is going to continue on field missions, and that is the end of it.”  
Strange made a noise. They had to be right outside the door. “Fine, Captain, but I still think this is a mistake.”  
“You’ve made that clear Stephen. Now, are you coming in with us to check on her?”  
There was a pause. “I… do not think she would appreciate my presence.” Strange said primly.  
“We’ll see you at dinner?” Steve asked softly.  
“Of course.” Strange sighed. There was a sound you didn’t recognize, and then footsteps.  
You opened your eyes, looking at Steve and Bruce. You raised an eyebrow. “How long was I out?”  
“Long enough to get you back here and run a couple tests.” Bruce walked over, checking your IV drip. “The man that snuck up on you pistol whipped you pretty hard. No lasting damage, although you’re going to have one hell of a bruise on your head for a bit.” He noticed you eyeing the IV. “Just to keep you hydrated, nothing to worry over.”  
“Is everyone else okay?” You asked, looking to Steve. He nodded.  
“Everyone else is fine, including the man you stopped to help. We got what we needed.”  
“Good.” You smiled. “Are you taking me off the team?”  
Steve snorted. “I’m fairly sure you heard at least some of that conversation, what do you think?”  
“I think I presented a liability in the field when Loki had to split his attention.”  
“And I think that was your first mission and you’re learning how to make sure an area is safe. There’s a learning curve, and I think that baseball on your head is going to make a good reminder.”  
You were surprised at the surge of relief you felt, smiling faintly. This is what you had worked for, trained for, you weren’t ready to toss away all that time and effort just yet.  
“Okay. Good. I- good.” You nodded. “Where is Loki?”  
“Pacing outside the elevator because that’s as close as we’d let him get until we knew you were okay.” Bruce scowled at Steve. “He’s going to wear a hole in the floor if you don’t let him in here soon.”  
Steve chuckled, nodding. He gently squeezed your shoulder. “Aside from the incident, you did good out there.”  
You smiled up at him. “Thanks, Cap.”  
He left and Bruce carefully disconnected you from the machines monitoring your heart rate and pulled the IV needle out. He’d mumbled something about getting everything done before the storm hit and you gave him a questioning look.  
Loki materialized in the doorway, looking frazzled, as Bruce removed the last of the cables.  
“Right on time.” He observed dryly as Loki grabbed your shoulders.  
“Is she alright?” Your friend asked Dr. Banner. “Is she dying? Was there memory loss?” He refocused on you. “Do you remember me?”  
Bruce shook his head, rolling his eyes, and made his way after Steve.  
“I don’t… I’m not sure?” You heard Bruce’s bark of laughter from outside the door. Loki looked stricken.  
“Oh. Oh, no, I knew this would happen.” He wailed.  
“I… Are you… Are you my husband?” You asked, looking at him wide-eyed.  
His face fell and he glared at you. “Bitch. Quit faking.”  
You laughed. “How’d you know?”  
“If we were married, you should be so lucky, it would be so amazing that you would be unable to forget about me for a single moment.” He removed his hands from you, dusting them off on his pants. “You are terrible. I was worried.”  
“Sorry.” You gave him a half-smile. “There’s a bump on my head, but Bruce says that’s the worst of it.”  
“Good. The man that hit you is dead.” He scowled, as if offended that the man had the audacity to not spring back to life so Loki could kill him again. “Do you feel like you can stand up?”  
“Yeah.” You let him help you out of bed and he kept an arm wrapped around you as you walked to the elevator.  
“Strange thinks I shouldn’t be in the field anymore.” You said quietly, leaning against the elevator wall.  
Loki raised an eyebrow. “While I do agree with the good doctor in theory, I would like to see you not get hurt again and the field does not lend itself to that, I don’t really think that’s an option.”  
You scuffed your foot against the floor. “Steve doesn’t think so either, he said I’m staying.”  
“Even if you didn’t go in the field, they wouldn’t get rid of you.” Loki sighed, brushing back a lock of hair that had fallen in your face.  
“Yeah?” You asked softly, looking up at him.  
“You are much too useful, it’s why I put up with you.” He gently pulled you off the wall as you laughed, helping you out the door and into the living room.  
Strange was sitting on the couch, staring pensively into a cup of tea. He looked up, startled, at your laughter. He half-stood, eyebrows drawing together.  
“Should you be up? It would be much better if-“ He started.  
“If she was resting in her own room, surrounded by her own things, and out of her filthy uniform.” Loki cut him off, looking down at you. “Really, that suit smells.”  
“Wouldn’t smell so much if you’d carried me back to the plane instead of dragging me.” You smirked, teasing.  
“Yes, and if I had carried you then you wouldn’t have learned your lesson.” He rolled his eyes.  
“I bet the bump on my head isn’t from that dealer. I bet it’s from a rock you dragged me over.”  
“Purposefully, you deserved it.”  
Strange watched you two bicker, confusion and irritation on his face. “Joke all you want, it doesn’t change the fact that-“  
“I’m fine.” You interrupted. “Maybe it could have turned out worse, but it didn’t. I’m fine.”  
He scowled. “And next time, when it doesn’t turn out fine? Will you be so blasé then?”  
You shrugged. “I’ll figure it out then.”  
“You are too valuable an asset to be wasted-“ He started. You waved your hand, stopping him short.  
“See, there you go again. I keep telling you, I’m a person. Not an asset. People get to make our own choices, whether you like them or not.” You sighed. “And I’ve made my choice. Kindly respect it.”  
With that, you disentangled yourself from Loki and stalked off to your room. Loki and Strange spoke a little longer but you didn’t pay any attention, focusing on your door. Loki followed you in a few moments later, helping peel you out of your suit and get you into the bathroom.  
He was laying on your bed, reading another of your books, when you emerged.  
“Hungry?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. You nodded. “Up for the loudness of the dinner table?”  
You wiggled your head, thinking. “Yeah.”  
He set the book down, taking your hand. “Let’s go.”


	8. Chapter 8

The next few missions went better, or at least had no major mishaps. You got a feel for field work slowly, but you didn’t let your guard down in the field again.  
Your increased vigilance was the tipping point. You’d been sent on a mission to clear out a research lab in the middle of nowhere, they’d been doing some kind of genetics work and nothing you’d heard about them had sounded good.  
Steve was taking lead, with Natasha, Clint and Bruce. Strange had insisted on coming, something about them having knowledge they shouldn’t. You were coming just in case, under strict orders to stay out of the way. Tony had expressed concern about Loki getting too close to the medical experiments, so he'd been forced to stay at the tower. Both of you were a little nervous about it, but you’d put on a brave face and teased him about waiting by the window for you.  
You had spent the plane ride going over the briefing again, mostly just so you wouldn’t have to look up. Strange had been watching you from the corner of his eye since you’d boarded and you were carefully ignoring him. He hadn’t brought up you not going in the field since your first mission, but you knew he still wasn’t happy about it. You weren’t about to let him get you into another argument, especially not in front of the team.  
Clint leaned over, nudging you. “Almost there.” He signed.  
“Thank you.” You signed back and tucked the briefing under your seat. You started fiddling with your suit, getting ready. Clint nudged you again. As you looked at him, you caught a glimpse of Strange watching you.  
“What is wrong with you two?” Clint signed. You paled slightly. You and Strange were civil to each other in front of the team, you’d thought you were doing a better job of hiding the tension.  
“Who?” You signed. Clint rolled his eyes.  
“Don’t.” He glared. “What’s wrong?”  
“Do you want to get into this before a mission?”  
He paused, thinking. “Will it jeopardize the mission?”  
“No.”  
“Then we’ll talk after.” He scowled.  
You nodded before resuming your checks. You weren’t looking forward to Clint pulling the feud out of you. Strange had started it by being an ass, but that didn’t make you feel any less nervous. You glanced up at him. He was talking with Bruce, heads bent close and his hands moving to emphasize something he was saying. Bruce laughed and you looked away, meeting Clint’s eyes. He raised an eyebrow at you and you looked down, blushing faintly and feeling caught.  
You landed before too long, trekking off through the forest in search of the research facility. Steve took point. You had flown all night, landing just after dawn. By the time the facility was coming into view, it was afternoon.  
A tall fence surrounded four buildings and a little yard. Two of them were labs, one was dormitory style housing and the other was the common area. Kitchen, small library, that sort of thing.  
Clint crept up to you. “Stay here.” He signed, pointing at an especially large tree. “We’ll radio if we need you.” You nodded, finding a place to bed down in the roots where you could still see the facility.  
The team moved forward, disappearing into the trees. Distantly, you watched them creep through the fence and fan out.  
The shouting and gunfire started shortly after. You tensed, waiting for your radio to come to life. Waiting to hear that something had gone wrong, someone was hurt. You hated this part of being in the field, the waiting.  
There was silence for a little while. Then the door to one of the labs swung open, a group of people flowing out. There was a faint roar and the doorway exploded outwards. The Hulk flung himself through the wreckage, chasing the group of people. You swallowed, nervous.  
There was distant shouting and gunfire, some screams. You shook your head, focusing on listening. The most sound was to the left of you, by the common building. You stretched your limbs, trying to stay ready, and listened closely.  
Your radio finally chirped, causing you to jump in surprise. “(Y/N), we need you. By the bunk house.” Steve’s voice.  
You were moving in a flash, staying low and working your way to the fence. You found the spot the team had pulled up, slipped under it, and made your way to the building. You tried to ignore the bodies you passed.  
You were almost to the bunk house when a pair of arms wrapped around you and pulled you into the shadow of an open door. One hand was firmly pressed over your mouth, the other gripped your arm hard enough to leave bruises. You stumbled backwards, finally coming to a halt against your captor’s chest.  
“If you scream, I’ll kill you.” A hoarse voice whispered in your ear. You nodded and they pulled you further backwards, away from the door. You focused on your breathing, trying to keep your heart from racing out of your chest. Trying to stay calm. You’d trained for this.  
You blinked. You had literally trained for this. Clint had complained for days about how hard you hit him, pride undercutting his whining. Some of the tension bled out of your shoulders, this was going to be fine.  
They stopped pulling you backwards, holding you tight against them. You took a centering breath, lifting your foot and driving the heel down onto the top of their foot as hard as you could. They howled and loosened their grip on you. You bent your arm, slamming your elbow into their midsection. Their arms fell away from you as they gasped. You turned, bringing your fist around and landing a quick punch in their throat before racing back towards the door they’d dragged you through. No one stepped out of the shadows to stop you and you flung yourself through the door and into the sunlight, rounding your shoulders and trying to stay low as you ran for the bunk house. You threw yourself around the corner, coming nose to nose with Steve. He looked startled.  
“What’s wrong?” He hissed.  
“Guy in the next building grabbed me. He’s bruised but upright.” You reported. “What happened here?”  
Steve moved aside, revealing Strange sitting behind him. He was keeping pressure with a twisted length of torn cloth, there was a small stain of blood under his leg. You raised an eyebrow and he glanced up at you before quickly looking away.  
“Gunshot.” Steve supplied. “I’ll keep watch.” You nodded, moving next to Strange and hovering your hands over the makeshift tourniquet.  
He looked up, finally making eye contact. He looked… unsure. You bit your tongue and gave him a small smile. He was selfish and arrogant, he could get under your skin in two words and a contraction, but this was your job. And you did your job. Warring emotions flickered across his face, reassurance and concern, as if he expected your smile to be a trap.  
“On three?” You whispered, using the method he’d picked so many months before in the hopes it would set him a little more at ease. He nodded. “Three.” His hands were shaking. “Two.” His hands were shaking a lot. “One.” He dropped the tourniquet and you reached out, pulling his hands into yours. You weren’t about to shove your hands down his shirt to achieve skin contact, nor were you going to tell him to take off his pants. You snorted at the thought before turning yourself over to the task of finding the bullet wound.  
It was like throwing yourself against a wall and you flinched at the sudden pain. Before you could draw a full breath it was over and you could feel the wound in his leg. You reached out, knitting muscle back together, and sent a tendril of your consciousness off to find the wall.  
Was it invasive? Yes. Would you normally ask permission before going injury-spelunking? Yes. But it had fucking hurt and no one had warned you it might happen, and that made you a little irritable. Maybe, deep down in the corner of your brain that you didn’t acknowledge often, you got a thrill at invading his privacy the way he invaded yours. You shook the thought off.  
It took you a moment to find it. His hands. His hands were a network of scars and stopped nerves and you hadn’t seen something as detailed and terrible as this before. Torn open veins and arteries were simple fixes, it was re-connecting the sides and re-building tissue and it was all one level. This, though. This was old, it had been allowed to heal this way and his hands had grown into it. There were levels to the way they didn’t connect.  
You backed away. Fixing it would take all of your attention, all your energy, and it would only scrape the surface. The bullet wound was fixed, that was all you could do for now. You backed out, becoming aware of your body again. With awareness of your body came awareness of the look Strange was giving you. It was hard and knowing and… embarrassed? He pulled his hands back, rubbing them together then against his thighs. He stopped when one of his fingers caught on the bullet hole in his pants, glancing at it and then hurriedly away.  
Steve glanced at the two of you. “We should get moving. Follow me.” Strange pushed himself to his feet and Steve lead the way back to the fence, pulling it up and letting the two of you slip under.  
He pointed to a hill in the distance. “Hawkeye is there, Widow and I are getting Hulk.” As if on cue one of the buildings collapsed in on itself, you could hear the Hulk roar from inside. Steve closed his eyes for a second, sighing through his nose. “We’ll meet you there.”  
You nodded, turning and taking off in the direction of the hill. Strange stayed a couple paces behind you, glancing back frequently to make sure you weren’t followed. You kept your eyes on the trees in front of you, heart in your throat as you waited for an ambush.  
None came. You climbed to the top of the hill and found Clint crouched in the low branches of a tree, watching the facility through a scope. He glanced down, nodding at you and Strange, before turning his attention back to the scope. You did a lap of the hilltop, not settling at the base of the tree until you were sure no one was climbing up after you. Strange did something complex with his hands and a faint orange circle appeared about halfway down the hill. You raised an eyebrow at him as he sat near you.  
“Wards.” He whispered. You nodded, realizing you’d never seen him cast anything before. You watched the orange light flicker and fade, until you could only see it out of the corner of your eye.  
You pulled your attention back to the fence, knowing that Clint would see anything before you did but still looking for movement.  
Strange shifted, the movement drawing your attention. His eyes flickered from you to the ground and back to you as he inhaled. “Thank you.” He whispered. “For earlier. With the bullet.”  
You nodded.  
He opened his mouth, starting to say something else before he thought better of it and shook his head, looking back towards the fence.  
Hawkeye dropped down before long. “They’re coming.” He whispered. Strange moved his hand, muttering something, and the ward disappeared. Natasha crested the hill a few moments later, followed by Steve supporting a staggering Bruce. You rushed forward, looking the doctor over for injuries. He waved you off, smiling faintly.  
“Not hurt.” He muttered. “Just tired.”  
You nodded in understanding. Natasha stopped next to Clint, and they looked at Steve.  
“The threat’s neutralized, we have their notes. It’s time to go.” He said wearily.  
The hike back to the plane went quickly and you were airborne before you knew it. Natasha was flying, discussing something quietly with Steve. Bruce was leaned against the wall, sleeping. Strange was flipping through an old book, absent-mindedly playing with the hole in his pants.  
Clint sat down next to you, startling you.  
“It’s time.” He signed. You sighed heavily.  
“Nothing’s up with us.” You signed.  
He snorted, raising his eyebrows. You crossed your arms, staring him down.  
“Try again.” He signed.  
“Nothing!”  
“You won’t even look at each other.”  
You bit your lip, thinking. “He’s a jerk.”  
“Yes. And?”  
“He talks like I’m not a person.”  
Clint raised his eyebrows.  
“I don’t know the sign.” You signed, frustrated, and looked away.  
Clint tapped your shoulder and you looked back at him. He did something with his hands and you shook your head.  
“I don’t understand.” You signed.  
He leaned close, until he was next to your ear. “It means ‘asset’.” He whispered.  
“Show me again.” You whispered back. He made the sign again, slower this time. You imitated him and it took a couple tries before you got it.  
“He talks like I’m an asset.” You signed. Clint nodded.  
“You are.”  
“Asset, not person.” You signed, more forcefully. Glaring.  
He sighed, nudging you with his shoulder. “I understand.”  
You leaned closer to him. “And… He invaded my privacy.” You whispered. Clint cocked his head. “My mutation.”  
He nodded, understanding. “That does suck. Can you forgive him?” He whispered.  
“If I was a person.” You signed, giving Clint a pointed look. He snorted, nodding.  
“Fair.” He signed. “Is it a problem?”  
“No.”  
You sat without talking for a while, both of you processing. You were a little hurt by Clint’s suggestion of forgiveness, but you understood his drive to keep harmony in the team. It was important that you all work as a unit in the field, anything else was dangerous. And… maybe you could have forgiven him, if he had acknowledged that he’d violated your privacy. Or tried to talk to you about anything other than your mutation, treated you like a person. You sighed, shaking your head. He didn’t seem likely to change any time soon, and you were perfectly willing to keep avoiding him until he did.  
You leaned over, nudging Clint. He raised an eyebrow.  
“Teach me a new sign.” You signed.  
He laughed, causing Strange to glance up at you. Clint moved his hands in a way you didn’t recognize, chuckling as you tried to follow along. The flight passed quickly, your attention taken by the lesson.  
*  
Loki was standing behind the window, watching the plane land. You could see him as you stepped off the plane. His arms were crossed, you were sure he was scowling.  
Your face split into a grin and you waved at him exuberantly. He did not wave back.  
You pushed open the door to the tower, holding it for the rest of the team before turning to Loki.  
You threw your arms wide. “I’m not dead!”  
He nodded, face expressionless. “I see that.”  
“Aren’t you glad?”  
“Over-joyed.” He deadpanned.  
“Are you salty because you were stuck here with Thor?”  
He scowled. “No.”  
“Peter?”  
“No.”  
“Tony?” His scowl intensified. “What did Tony do?”  
Loki rolled his eyes. “Oh, nothing. The illustrious Mr. Stark was in his lab all day so obviously he couldn’t have been the one to fill my room with ducks.”  
“…Real ducks, or rubber ducks?” You asked, not sure if you wanted to know the answer.  
“Rubber ducks.” Loki grumbled. You looped you arm through his and headed up the stairs.  
“It can’t be that bad.”  
“It can.”  
“They’re just rubber ducks.”  
Loki watched in silence, waiting, as you opened the door to his room. You were not greeted by the sight of rubber ducks covering every surface, as you’d assumed. You also were not greeted by an array of giant rubber ducks, which you had almost considered.  
Instead, the door swung open along the only clear space. A floor-to-ceiling wall of ducks greeted you, all of them an obnoxiously bright shade of yellow.  
You reached forward tentatively, pressing on the wall. It didn’t topple, implying more ducks behind it. You pushed a little harder to no avail.  
Silently, you turned to Loki. His expression remained stony.  
“You know we have to find a way to get him back, right?” You asked.  
“I have already done so.” Loki replied primly. “However, I am unsure where I am going to sleep until this gets… excavated.”  
You snorted. “Obviously you’re going to stay with me.”  
His expression didn’t change. “You have one bed.”  
“It’s a big bed.”  
“(Y/N).”  
“C’mon, it’ll be a sleep over. I’ll braid your hair and we can tell terrible stories.”  
He huffed as you shut the door, following you down the hall to your room. You closed the door behind the two of you, turning to him.  
“Wait. You said you already got him back?”  
Loki smirked.  
“Should I ask?”  
“You will see tomorrow, I think.”  
You nodded. “Yeah, alright. I’m going to grab a shower. Are you hungry?”  
You unzipped the top half of your suit, sliding it off to reveal your undershirt and bare arms. Loki hissed, grabbing you and pulling you to him.  
“What is this?” He growled, pointing to a darkening bruise on your upper arm.  
“Oh! Someone grabbed me, but I beat them up and got free. It’s okay, they didn’t do any real damage.”  
Loki looked at you, incensed, and inhaled as if preparing to start a tirade. You reached up and booped his nose.  
He stopped, stunned.  
“Look at me, I’m fine.” You shrugged out of his grip, holding your arms up and spinning in a circle. “See? Nothing’s wrong, just a bruise.”  
“You could have been killed.”  
You winced. You tried not to think about that. “Yes.”  
“And I wasn’t there.”  
“Loki.”  
“And where was the rest of the team? Aren’t they supposed to keep you out of those situations?”  
“Loki, this is what they trained me for. This is why I didn’t get sent out in the field on day one. I defended myself, I didn’t fight. I punched them and I ran.”  
He shook his head. “You are too valuable.”  
“Loki.” You groaned, exasperated.  
“Too valuable to me.” He clarified. “You are… not like a sister to me, my sister tried to murder me. And Thor. But… You are my friend.”  
You nodded. “Minus the attempted murder, I know exactly what you mean. And I get that you worry, I worry about you too.” You reached out to squeeze his hand. “But look at me. I’m fucking ripped now. Nothing’s going to kill me.”  
“You sound like Thor.” Loki groaned, making you chuckle.  
“This is my job now, like it or not. When you’re with me, I know you have my back. When you’re not, you have to trust that I can manage to not die for the five minutes it takes them to find me. Okay?”  
“You’re not building my confidence.”  
“I said ‘okay’?”  
He sighed. “Fine, okay.”  
“Thank you. Now, seriously, I’m starving. We’re getting food.”  
He nodded, shooing you towards the bathroom and heading for his usual perch on your bed.  
*  
The next morning, Tony walked downstairs to breakfast dyed red. From a lingering tint in his hair to vibrant on his skin. It took a couple days to wash off, about as long as it took to clear the ducks out. Loki wouldn’t admit it but you were pretty sure he was secretly enjoying staying with you (and you caught him admiring the braids more than a few times).


	9. Chapter 9

Swearing steadily under your breath, you ran. The sound of gunfire ripped through the air, undercut by shouting and the crunch of sticks breaking. You watched the Avengers scatter in brief glimpses through the trees, heavily armed cultists on their heels. Steve and Natasha veered West, Bruce following a similar trajectory. You tried to adjust, to head after them, and almost ran into headlong into a cultist.  
You managed not to scream, somehow. He was so caught off-guard, he was still bringing his gun up as you disappeared into the brush. Direction no longer mattered other than ‘away’, you went East. You’d all meet back up, regroup and try again. It was fine. This was fine.  
You ran until your lungs were on fire, the faint tang of blood in your mouth. You ran until your legs felt weightless. Just as you were starting to worry about your ability to stay upright, the trees ended. You staggered out of the forest, surprised. A town spread out before you and you jogged to take cover behind a fence, peering around it towards the woods. You waited, barely breathing, expecting to see cultists running after you.  
There was no one.  
Wait, no, there. Movement in the treetops. You squinted, perplexed. Strange floated along the top edge of the forest, trying to peer through branches. As he reached the edge he drifted down into the field between forest and town, cloak swirling. You could almost hear him sigh as his shoulders dropped, it probably sounded like the sigh you let out when you realized it was just the two of you.  
You stepped out from around the fence, waving your arms. He looked up in surprise, hurrying to you once he recognized your suit.  
“What the fuck?” You asked when you close enough to not shout.  
“We didn’t know they had a fucking armory.” He sounded angry, shaking his head. “We should have.”  
“Hey, hey.” You put up your hands. “Done is done. Did you see the others? I think they went West.”  
He nodded. “They did, but I lost them when I went up. I think our best bet is to head for the rendezvous point and wait.”  
“Portal?” You asked. He shook his head, surprising you.  
“We didn’t think we’d actually need it. I know the coordinates but I don’t know what it looks like. The portal wouldn’t be… stable enough.”  
You groaned softly. “Okay. How far are we?”  
“A few miles.” He shrugged.  
You nodded. “Alright, let’s get going.”  
Strange led the way into the town and you followed. Worry twisted in your stomach, this was supposed to be a simple mission. In, break up the cult and steal their book for Strange, and get out. Not this.  
You scanned windows, doorways, anything that held a shadow as you followed Strange through the streets. He kept low, pressed close to the buildings. The fact that you hadn’t seen anyone since the team had been split had you more on edge than anything else, you almost wished you’d turn the corner onto an army. At least you’d know where the enemy was, at least you’d know what to do. You were moving on autopilot, trying to figure out what the plan was.  
Obviously separating the Avengers was the best move, but no one had come for you. You hadn’t even heard the sounds of a fight in the distance. What was the point of splitting the team if no one took advantage of it?  
You almost missed the movement in the window, caught up in your thoughts. Strange certainly did, stepping out into the street to look at something. You glanced up, your heart sinking as you watched the man take aim at Strange. There was no time to yell. You threw yourself forward, crashing into Strange’s back and knocking him forward just as the gun went off. The sound was so loud after the prolonged silence, it was almost deafening. You fell, hitting the ground hard. Strange whirled, moving his hands in a complicated gesture. A complex pattern of orange light sprang to life under his fingers and he threw it towards the window. There was a strangled scream, then silence. Strange looked at you as you picked yourself up, eyebrows nearly touching.  
He started to say something and you waved him off. “At least we know we’re not completely alone.” You said, brushing dirt from your suit.  
He hesitated, then nodded and took off. You followed close behind him, keeping watch. He kept a steady pace, sacrificing speed for caution. You made it about a half mile before a stitch started in your side. Gritting your teeth, you kept going.  
The town continued to be deserted, no one else popped up to challenge you. No distant sounds to indicate life. It was getting increasingly unnerving, even Strange was looking more concerned as time went on.  
He slowed until he was barely in front of you, glancing back at you. “Something is wrong.”  
“No kidding.”  
“Everyone is gone. Everything is gone, there aren’t even birds.”  
You paused, listening. He was right, you couldn’t hear any animals. The world seemed to be holding its breath, and the lack of sound chilled you. “What would cause that?”  
He shook his head. “I don’t know. We should hurry, I hope they’ve beaten us there.”  
You nodded. He picked up the pace a little and you stayed a couple feet behind him. Now that you’d noticed the silence, you couldn’t forget it. It set your teeth on edge and left you feeling cold.  
After a quarter mile, you realized you really were feeling chilled. The stitch was only getting worse, too, and you sighed. Now was not the time for your body to fail you, you were in danger. Worse, you were with Strange and you’d be damned if you were going to show weakness in front of him. You clenched your teeth and tried to focus on watching for danger.  
You made it a fair way before pain lanced up your side, so sharp you barely held back a gasp. You pressed your hand over the stitch and almost missed a step as you realized it was wet. Already knowing what you’d see, you looked down as you pulled your hand away. Your palm was red where it had rested on the stain soaking into your suit. It was still small and you smiled gratefully.  
The smile turned to a frown as you realized you’d have to tell Strange. You hesitated, could you keep running? Just ignore the bleeding? You made it a few feet before pain flared in your side again, almost making you stumble. You bit back a groan, you’d have to tell him.  
Maybe if you slowed down a little, put a little less strain on your side. It almost seemed to work, before the next flare of pain did make you stumble. You fell, catching yourself on your hands and knees. The impact jostled your side and you hissed through your teeth at the pain. Strange stopped at the sound, turning. He was next to you in a flash, hands hovering over you arms as he warred between not touching you and helping you up. It made you smile, a little, as you pushed yourself to your feet unaided.  
“What…” He started to ask, concerned. His eyes flickered to your side and they widened in surprise and understanding.  
“Guess the sniper didn’t miss after all.” You tried to keep your tone light, joking. It just made him look more worried. “Looks like you’re getting to the rendezvous by yourself.”  
“What are you talking about? I’ll keep watch while you heal yourself.” He started to turn, scanning doorways.  
“Doesn’t work like that.” The look on his face as he whipped around to stare at you almost made you laugh. You chalked it up to blood loss. Which, you realized, wasn’t reassuring.  
“What?” He asked.  
“Doesn’t work on me, just other people.” You gestured to the building you’d stopped next to. “I’ll hole up here, come get me after you find the team.”  
He shook his head. “I’m not abandoning you, you’re injured. Come on.” He pushed open the door and disappeared inside. You sighed heavily through your nose, following him in.  
The only thing worse than being separated from the team with Strange was being separated from the team with Strange while you were injured and gone to ground. This mission was turning out delightfully.  
*  
Strange made sure the building was abandoned before he insisted on helping you up the stairs to the second level. Trying to do it yourself had resulted in your leg giving out and you almost falling, Strange caught you at the last second. Having him touch you was better than getting a concussion, you supposed.  
The building looked like it had been a hotel once, or a hostel. Time and neglect had done their part, dirt and debris covered everything. The paint was peeling, the carpet was molding, and the door Strange threw himself against broke easily. He stumbled into the room and you managed not to chuckle as he caught himself. You pushed off the wall you were leaning against and made your way in after him.  
You were in a small room, oven and sink against one wall and a couch against the other. Strange unclasped his cloak, leaving it near the couch, and wandered through a connecting doorway. He made a surprised noise after a moment.  
“(Y/N), back here.” He called.  
You kept one hand on the wall as you made your way to him. He was standing over a mattress, looking triumphant. You raised an eyebrow.  
“It was resting on the broken bed frame and covered in boards. It’s missed the worst of the…” He gestured around himself, indicating the general state of decay.  
You didn’t lower your eyebrow. He sighed, pointing at the bed.  
“Sit down and open your suit.”  
You bristled, pushing yourself away from the wall and stalking towards him. “Just because I’m injured doesn’t mean that you get to take advantage of me! Don’t think I can’t-“  
He snorted. “That is never a thing you need fear, believe me. The ‘doctor’ in my name is not purely ornamental. Sit down, I want to see your wound.”  
You blushed, the color standing out even more with how pale you were becoming, and he chuckled. You lowered yourself carefully onto the bed, unzipping the top of your suit and slipping out of it. He knelt in front of you, pulling the bloodied fabric away. You hissed in pain, watching fresh blood flow down your side.  
“Sorry.” He whispered automatically, poking at it. He looked up at you. “This would not be so bad if you hadn’t run on it for so long, you’ve torn it.”  
You shrugged, wincing as it pulled at your side. “I didn’t know it was there.”  
He sighed, turning his attention back to the wound and beginning to pull things out of his pockets. “Of course not, you were still full of adrenaline.”  
You watched him, curious. “You can’t heal.” You said after a moment.  
He snorted, it was a harsh sound. “No, that would make this much simpler.” He moved his hands, sliding them through the complex design he drew. The orange lines he’d drawn lingered over his skin before slowly fading. Then he reached into a pocket, pulling out a pellet of cotton that smelled strongly of dried herbs. You were studying the bumps in its surface, the places where you could almost see the color of flowers under the cotton, when he shoved it into the bullet hole. You cried out in surprise and pain, he didn’t even glance up. He reached into a different pocket, pulling out a vial of something he spread across the holes. His hands were shaking, and it pulled a little at the edges of your wound. Finally, he pulled out a roll of gauze. He placed the end against your side.  
“Hold this.” He instructed, and you pressed it down. He wrapped it tightly around your midsection, enough times to completely cover the holes under several layers. Finally, he looked up at you. “That’ll stop the bleeding and cut down the infection risk.”  
You nodded, your throat tightening against the words you didn’t want to say. “Thank you.”  
He snorted. “Thank you for saving my life.”  
You shrugged, looking away. You looked back to him when he started fishing through his pockets again.  
“What are you looking for?” You asked softly.  
“Locator beacon.” He said as he pulled it out. You furrowed your eyebrows.  
“You can leave me here and go to the rendezvous. I’ll be fine.” You protested.  
He snorted. “And have Steve throttle me for leaving you alone? I think not.”  
“If you press that, anyone with a beacon can find us. If someone’s been compromised…” You didn’t finish the sentence, not wanting to consider either the threat it could bring or what ‘compromised’ implied.  
He shrugged, pressing the button. “Then we’ll deal with it at the time. You’re not going anywhere, ergo neither am I.”  
You sighed through your nose, closing your eyes. Strange’s chuckle made you crack one back open. He shook his head, watching you.  
“I’m not exactly enthused about the situation either, you know. You would be my last pick of people to be stuck with.” He shook his head. “But I won’t leave an injured Avenger, even you.”  
“How noble.” You wrinkled your nose, offended.  
Irritation flashed in his eyes. “Don’t act superior, you’re a nightmare to work with.”  
You snorted, glaring. “Oh, I’m a nightmare? At least I think you’re a person.”  
“Oh, I know you’re a person. Nothing else could be so vitriolic.” He rolled his eyes.  
“I’d rather be vitriolic than be as self-obsessed as you.”  
He chuckled. “That’s funny, coming from someone so self-righteous.”  
“At least I don’t treat everyone like pawns.”  
“No, you just think you’re better than them.”  
“Not everyone, just you.”  
“Sanctimonious bitch.” He growled.  
“Arrogant bastard.” You hissed.  
“Arrogant, really? That’s what you pick? Have you looked in a mirror?” He almost laughed.  
You blinked, confusion over-riding your anger for a moment. “What the fuck does that mean?”  
He did laugh, this time. “I admit it, I am arrogant. I was so arrogant, I walked away from people that needed me.” He shook his head. “I would never do that now. But you would.”  
“I’ve healed everyone that’s come to me.” Your voice was rising.  
“Really?” He held up his hands. They were shaking so hard their edges almost seemed blurred. “I know you felt them. I know you know they’re there. You never asked, never offered to help.” He glanced at them, disgusted, and shoved them in his pockets.  
You paused for a second, taken aback, before your anger spurred you forward. “You’re the Sorcerer Supreme, fix them yourself.”  
“I’ve tried!” He roared. “Why do you think I learned magic? Do you think I wanted to be the only thing standing between New York and annihilation? To be locked up in the Sanctum? Alone?”  
“So you force me to be an Avenger, in the hopes I’d fix you?” You yelled back, springing to your feet. You squared your shoulders, facing him down.  
“How dare you, I would never force someone’s hand!”  
“But somehow, here I am!” You threw your arms wide. “I certainly didn’t tell anyone I was a mutant!”  
“I didn’t know!”  
“So you go behind my back?”  
“You certainly weren’t going to talk to me! I just wanted to understand!”  
“So you asked in front of everyone?”  
“I didn’t know!” He repeated.  
“It was my life! I built it! Fucking up your life doesn’t make it okay to fuck up mine!”  
He took a step toward you, radiating fury. “You’re not listening! I didn’t mean to out you! But as long as we’re accusing each other, do you know how many lives you could have saved while you were hiding?”  
“Mutations aren’t like magic, we’re not celebrated!”  
He let out a bark of laughter. “Oh, you think this is celebrated?” He gestured to himself. “My fiancé left me!”  
“My family disowned me!” He hesitated, caught off-guard, and you forged ahead. “How dare you force me into this! You selfish ass!“  
“Stubborn harpy, I wanted to help you!”  
You rolled your eyes. “That’s what you keep telling yourself, isn’t it? That you know what’s best for everyone! You don’t even know me!”  
“I know life would be so much easier if you weren’t such an unpleasant shrew!”  
You opened your mouth with a sharp comment, but before you could start Strange turned on his heel and stalked into the entry room. You took two steps forward, readying yourself to continue the fight when you remembered your conversation with Clint. ‘Will this jeopardize the mission?’  
“Fuck.” You whispered vehemently, rubbing a hand over your face.  
You sighed, deflating, and winced as your side twinged. Glancing down confirmed that you’d bled through the gauze during your argument. Gingerly, you laid down on the edge of the bed, resting your feet on the floor. You closed your eyes, letting out a soft groan. Your thoughts were a jumble.  
This was a mess.  
*  
It was after dark when you heard footsteps come into the room. You didn’t bother to open your eyes.  
“I’m sorry.” Strange said quietly. That did make you open your eyes, pushing yourself onto your elbows to regard him. A pair of orange lights whirled lazily around his head, illuminating the hang-dog look he was giving you. You shook your head, sitting up.  
“I’m sorry, too.”  
You were both quiet for a long, uncomfortable moment. Strange sighed, looking at the floor next to your feet.  
“I’m sorry I made you feel like I don’t think of you as a person.” He looked up at you, eyebrows drawn. “I’m sorry I forced you into this. I wasn’t thinking.”  
You froze, surprised. You’d been waiting a year to hear him say that, for a moment you wondered if you were hallucinating. He sighed at the look on your face.  
“I’m an ass, but not as much of one as you’ve made me out to be.” He said softly. “I didn’t mean to force you into the Avengers, I didn’t realize you were a mutant. I thought… I thought you’d learned magic somewhere. That we could trade techniques.” He hesitated. “…Be friends.”  
“If you wanted to be friends, why didn’t you ever talk to me?” You asked.  
“You were so angry, I didn’t know what to say to you.” He looked up, startled. “Any time I tried, it just ended in you being more mad at me.”  
You blushed, looking down. “Sorry. I just… I worked hard for my life, and it seemed like you didn’t even care that I’d lost it.”  
He chuckled softly. “Then I am even more sorry. I lost my life before this, too.”  
“Really?” You raised an eyebrow. He smiled sadly, holding his hands up between you. They shook steadily and you could faintly see the scars in the glow from his lights. You hissed in sympathy.  
“I was a neurosurgeon.” He laughed and it was a harsh sound. “I was an amazing neurosurgeon, I was pioneering new techniques that would save so many people.” He shook his head.  
“I’m so sorry.” You whispered. “What happened?”  
“Car crash, my own fault. I became obsessed with fixing them.” He regarded his hands, smiling faintly. “Poured years, and all my money, into it. Nothing worked.” He rubbed his hands on his pants, a nervous gesture. “Ended up in Nepal, found the school for sorcery and here I am. Can’t fix my hands, can’t get my life back, but I can save the world.” He glanced at you. “Sorry. You didn’t ask for all that.”  
You shrugged. “’S all right, you make a little more sense now.”  
“Oh yeah?” He chuckled dryly. “I’m glad.”  
You sat together in silence for a while, until he looked up at you curiously.  
“I don’t mean to pry, but you said something when we were yelling. Your family disowned you?”  
You sighed, shutting your eyes. “You are just full of curiosity, you know that?” You grumbled. “They did. Because I’m a mutant.”  
He inhaled sharply. “No wonder you were so angry when I…” He winced.  
You shrugged. “It’s in the past. Your fiancé left?”  
He let out a bark of laughter. “One uncomfortable question for another, huh? We worked together at the hospital, she stayed with me when I was trying to fix my hands. I was… She deserved better. We reconnected after I took over the Sanctum. I asked her to marry me, she said yes, and a week later her bags were packed.” He shook his head. “Said she couldn’t handle sharing me with every other dimension. I can’t blame her.”  
“That’s hard.”  
“It’s in the past.” He smiled faintly, parroting your words. “You and Loki are awfully close, how long have you been seeing each other?”  
Your laughter caught him off-guard. It was hard, belly laughter and it pulled your side in a way that made your eyes water. Your laughter petered off, broken up by gasps of pain. “We’re not together, he’s my best friend.” You shook your head, smiling.  
He raised a disbelieving eyebrow and you held your hand up, mimicking the ‘scouts honor’ signal. Strange laughed. “I wouldn’t have guessed, you two are inseparable.”  
“Well yeah.” You smiled, looking at him in bemusement. “I was the only one who didn’t treat him like a criminal. Neither of us wanted to be there, we bonded.”  
He hesitated. “And now?”  
You shrugged, looking down with a smile. “They’re like a big, dysfunctional family.”  
He let out a breath you hadn’t realized he was holding. “I’m glad.”  
You looked up at him, curious. “You?”  
He looked at you in surprise. “Me?”  
“I get the feeling there aren’t many people in the Sanctum, is working with the Avengers like being around extended family?” Your smile turned wry. “That you can escape from?”  
He chuckled. “I suppose. I don’t spend much time around the tower.”  
You hesitated, glancing at him. “Maybe you should start.” You flushed at his raised eyebrow. “They’re good people. And you said you were lonely.”  
He nodded, studying you. His eyebrows drew together suddenly. “You’ve bled through your bandage.”  
You glanced down, shrugging. “Yeah, it started hurting when I was yelling.”  
He shook his head, making an exasperated noise. “You should be glad your healing takes so little time, you don’t have to worry about your patients screwing up their aftercare.” He scowled. “Unwrap it, we’ll have to clean it again.”  
You groaned, pulling the bandaging off. It went faster this time, you helped where you could. You sat together in silence afterwards, not quite sure what to say.  
“You should get some rest.” Strange finally said. “I’ll keep watch.”  
You nodded. “Wake me up when you get tired.”  
“Oh, no.” He smiled faintly. “I’ll astral project, my body will rest while I watch. No need to wake you.”  
You raised an eyebrow. “You’re full of surprises, doctor.”  
He paused, then smiled faintly. “Please, call me Stephen.”  
“You’re full of surprises, Stephen.” His name felt odd in your mouth but he looked so pleased. It was almost jarring, going from so angry at him you couldn’t breathe for the last year to tentatively maybe being okay with him. All you’d wanted was an apology, for him to acknowledge hurting you. And now he had and you weren’t sure what to feel.  
He stood. “I’ll be on the couch.”  
“Thank you.” You said softly and he smiled.  
You laid down, trying not to jostle your side. Sleep was slow coming, your thoughts were still a swirl of confusion and stale anger and a strange undercurrent of warmth. But sleep did come.  
Nothing came in the night.  
Strange- Stephen woke you in the morning. You sat up, quickly becoming alert.  
“How’s your side?” He asked softly. You lifted your arm, stopping when it tugged on the wound.  
“Better, not great.”  
He nodded. “Can you fight?”  
Your breathing stilled. “If I have to.” You said carefully.  
“Good. I heard voices. They’re not close, but they’re coming this way.”  
You stood, stretching experimentally. “Okay. Do we have a plan?”  
“Don’t die.” He snorted, smiling.  
You couldn’t help chuckling. “Good plan.”  
“I can send my astral form outside the building when they get closer to see who it is.” He said, looking towards the window. “It’ll give us a chance to prepare. If we need to.”  
You nodded. “Could the cultists… see you?”  
He considered. “I don’t think so.”  
“Okay. Good.”  
Stephen sat on the middle of the couch, cross legged, and you watched him become very still. The cloak floated near him, almost seeming nervous.  
You hesitated, looking at it. “It’s okay.” You said softly. “He’ll be fine.”  
The cloak turned to you sharply, seeming to regard you. It was an unsettling feeling.  
“He’ll be fine.” You sounded more sure this time. “He’s just projecting.” The cloak floated closer to you. “I… won’t let anything happen to his body.”  
The cloak stopped, seeming to consider your words. It flipped, arcing in a graceful circle, and floating back to him. You blinked, wondering for a moment when this had become something that wasn’t abnormal for you.  
You shook your head, now wasn’t the time. You kept your eyes on the door, waiting.  
Stephen shook his head after a few minutes, coughing. You looked at him questioningly.  
He smiled. “It’s the Avengers. Feel like you can make it down the stairs?”  
“I’m willing to try.” You gave him a relieved smile. He swung the cloak onto his shoulders and led the way to the stairs. Leaning heavily on the railing, you managed to make it down without incident. Stephen was barely a step behind you, you knew he’d grab you if you stumbled.  
The thought didn’t turn your stomach as much as it had yesterday.  
You met the rest of the team in the doorway. Steve handed Stephen the book the cultists had been using, Stephen raised an eyebrow at him in silent question. Steve grinned.  
“When they ambushed us, they herded us West. They had some… electromagnetic cage? I don’t know. Anyway, we all got stuck in it. They were trying to summon something into it, use us as a sacrifice. Natasha interrupted the summoning and stole the book, Bruce destroyed the machines holding the cage together and I made sure nothing stopped them.” He beamed.  
Stephen shook his head, grinning. “Smoothly done, Captain.”  
Natasha leaned forward, studying you. She pointed at your side. “What happened to you two?”  
“Sniper.” Stephen explained. “(Y/N) took the bullet for me. We tried for the rendezvous point, stopped here when she started bleeding through her suit.”  
“Why didn’t you-“ Bruce stopped, looking stricken. “Why didn’t you tell us you can’t heal yourself?”  
You shrugged. “It wasn’t a problem before now.”  
Steve scowled and Bruce shook his head. Natasha was silently looking between you and Stephen.  
“Let me look at it.” Bruce groaned. “I don’t have any of my tools…”  
You raised your hands, warding him off. “It’s okay, St-Stephen already patched me up. It needs stitches, but I’ll be okay for the flight.” You’d almost said Strange out of habit, he smiled faintly at your correction.  
Steve and Bruce raised their eyebrows. Natasha just smiled like she’d figured something out.  
“We should get going.” Steve said after a moment. “Can you walk?”  
You started to say something in the affirmative when Stephen spoke up.  
“She shouldn’t.” He ignored the glare you gave him.  
Steve nodded, kneeling in front of you. “C’mon, I’ll carry you.”  
“Steve.” You groaned.  
“You’re not walking. It’s this or I sling you over my shoulder, which is going to hurt a lot more.” He gave you a sympathetic grin.  
You sighed, put upon, and climbed onto his back. He set off, the rest of the team following after.  
*  
The plane ride home seemed much quicker than the plane ride out. Stephen and Bruce sat to either side of you, keeping an eye on your condition. They spent the flight talking about medical things, you interjected occasionally but mostly you just let their words wash over you.  
Thor, Tony and Clint came running out as the plane landed. Tony was scowling.  
“What do you mean they got the drop on you?” He asked, striding up to Steve.  
Steve shrugged. “They must have had someone bank rolling them, they were armed to the teeth.”  
“That crime family we were looking at seemed awfully interested in the arcane, could it be them?” Clint asked.  
“Maybe, but we’re not talking about it out here.” Tony glared, turning and catching sight of you. He stopped. “What happened to you?”  
“Got shot.” You shrugged. He blinked.  
“Can you not…?” He wiggled his fingers, looking at you askance.  
“Nope.” You smiled. “I get to heal up the old fashioned way.”  
He paused, thinking. Then nodded. “That sucks for you.”  
You chuckled. Everyone headed for the tower, Stephen stopped a few feet short of the doors.  
“This is where I leave you.” He announced. “I have a book to read.”  
Steve and Tony nodded. “Call if you find anything.” Tony said.  
Stephen nodded, opening a spark-rimmed portal.  
“Stephen.” You called, before he could step through. He turned back to you, eyebrow raised. “Why don’t you come over for dinner tomorrow? I’ll cook.”  
He inclined his head, a ghost of a smile on his face. “I’d like that, thank you.” He stepped through and the portal closed in a shower of sparks.  
You turned, thinking longingly of your shower, and froze. The team was all staring at you, various stages of confusion on their faces. Except Clint, Clint was just grinning.  
“What?” You asked. “I can cook.”  
“That’s not…” Steve started, trying to pick his words delicately.  
“What happened between you and the sorcerer?” Thor did not try to pick his words delicately. “You wouldn’t even look at each other when you left.”  
You shrugged, managing not to blush under their scrutiny. “We talked.”  
“You wouldn’t look at each other for a year.” Tony grated. “And you ‘talked’?”  
You nodded. “Yeah.”  
“How-“ Tony started. Clint dropped a hand on his shoulder, his grin diminishing to a less shit-eating level.  
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Stark. Just let it be.” He winked at you and you glared. Tony shook his head, turning and walking into the tower.  
Thor slung his arm across your shoulders, steering you inside. “What are you making this time? More of your curry?”  
“I was thinking pasta.” You looked up at him, smiling. “You guys eat a lot, and it’s easy to make in bulk.”  
Thor nodded thoughtfully. “Wise.”  
*  
There was a lot of pasta. You had spent the morning making the sauce, leaving it on the stove to simmer until dinner. You’d spent most of the afternoon rolling meatballs, your hands were still a little sore.  
Now you were facing down a veritable mountain of pasta. You laughed, shaking your head.  
“See? This proves it, you’ve obviously lost your mind.” Loki piped up from the counter behind you.  
You looked back at him, smiling. “Remind me again how you’ve come to that conclusion?” You asked teasingly.  
He counted the evidence on his fingers. “Cooking dinner for the entire team. Inviting the good doctor to dinner, which counts as two because that decision ended you here. Calling the good doctor by his given name, which you still haven’t sufficiently explained to me by the way. Now you’re laughing.” He looked at you meaningfully.  
“I also told Steve to invite Sam.” You grinned. Loki rolled his eyes.  
“There, see? That’s another.”  
“What are you talking about, we like Sam.”  
“For the purpose of this argument, Sam is another mouth.”  
“Wait, we’re arguing?” You asked playfully.  
“You got yourself shot and you came back acting too familiar with the good doctor.” Loki scowled. “I feel like we should be arguing about something.”  
You glanced at your side. Your shirt was still blood-stain free and you let out a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding. Now that you were back in the tower, Bruce had cleaned your wound and stitched you up. The bullet had gone straight through, keeping the damage minimal. You were barred from missions, or anything deemed too strenuous, until it healed.  
“We can argue. You start.”  
“How could you get yourself shot when you knew full well that you couldn’t heal it?”  
You glanced at him. “We talked about this last night, I’m not a good enough shot to have taken out the sniper. I didn’t know the bullet would hit me.”  
“But you did know it would hit the doctor, and you deemed his life worth more than yours?”  
“No, but I knew Stephen had a better chance of taking out the enemy than I did. It was strategy.”  
“See! That, right there. When did you start calling him ‘Stephen’?”  
“Again, we talked about this last night.”  
“You weren’t making sense last night.”  
“He and I talked, he apologized. That was all I wanted.”  
“Yes, after you two got into a screaming match that should have brought every cultist in the area to your doorstep.”  
“Okay, yes, true.”  
“And after a year of avoiding each other.”  
“I told you, all I wanted was an apology. He apologized.”  
Loki made a disgusted noise. “You’re making as much sense as you did last night.”  
“Because we went over all of this last night. I even recreated the argument for you.”  
“Yes, the hand puppets were a great touch, thank you for that. It’ll take me months to get the image of a sock dressed like the doctor shouting ‘wretched shrew’ out of my head.”  
“You’re welcome.”  
“He called you a bitch!”  
“You called me a bitch!”  
“Because I love you! And you were being a bitch!”  
You paused, turning to look at him. Slowly, you started to grin.  
“What?” He asked, crossing his arms.  
“You love me?” You asked.  
He rolled his eyes. “Like you didn’t already know.”  
“Yeah.” You shrugged. “It’s just nice hearing you say it. I love you too.”  
He snorted. “I know. Which is part of why we’re having this argument.”  
You raised an eyebrow, using the wooden spoon in your hand to gesture for him to continue.  
“I worry that you’re forgiving the doctor too quickly. He’s not a bad man. Annoying, arrogant, but not bad.” Loki sighed, leaning forward. “But you two spent a year not talking except to fight. He’s not going to stop saying things that make you angry over-night. Is this truce just going to last until he says something stupid?”  
You shook your head. “He proved that he cares how his behavior effects people. Now that I know he does, I can just tell him ‘quit being an ass’. It might take time, but he can learn.”  
“And you’re the one to teach him?” Loki raised an eyebrow.  
“Stop.” You groaned. “I’m not ‘fixing him’, I just want to give him a chance.”  
“A chance at what?”  
“Being friends.”  
Loki was silent. You turned in concern to find him staring at you, horrified.  
“Oh my god, stop.” You laughed, walking across the kitchen to throw your arms around him. “You are my best friend. Nothing and no one is going to change that.”  
“You say that now.” Loki moaned, throwing his head back. “But what about a month from now? Will you be seduced away by the charms of our dear doctor, off to the best friendship that opens portals and magically refills beer steins?”  
“He can magically refill beer steins?” You looked thoughtful, still wrapped around Loki. “That’s a game changer.”  
“Witch.” Loki scowled.  
You hummed, squeezing him before returning to the stove. “Nothing is going to change this, Loki.”  
He paused, considering. Then nodded. “Good.”  
You glanced at him. “You are so theatric, you know that?”  
He nodded. “I put on the most amazing plays in Asgard.”  
“I’d love to see one.” You shot him a pointed look.  
“Oh! There was one about me and Thor you would love. It was about when I died.”  
You looked at him in distress. “You died?”  
“There we were on Svartalfheim.” Loki began, grinning. You stirred the pasta, listening to your friend and smiling.  
“Thor cradled me in his arms, weeping, and promised to tell father of what I’d done.” Loki looked up regally. “I was a hero.”  
“And you turned this into a play?” You asked, straining noodles.  
“An amazing play.”  
“How could you turn this into a play if you were dead, Baron Munchausen?”  
“He was disguised as our father at the time.” Thor spoke up from behind you, startling Loki. You were so focused on straining the noodles without burning yourself that it took you a second to realize it wasn’t Loki who had spoken.  
“It was complicated.” Loki grumbled.  
“Not so complicated. You disguised yourself as our father to rule Asgard.” Thor shrugged, then looked up at you. “That smells amazing.”  
“Thank you!” You chirped. “It’s almost ready. Is everyone here?”  
“Sam got here about an hour ago. Strange should be here any moment.” Thor reported.  
The sparks of a portal opening cut off your response. Strange stepped into the kitchen, cradling a large bottle of wine. He looked up and blushed faintly as he realized Thor and Loki were there.  
“I, ah, hope I’m not late?” He asked.  
You grinned, brandishing the wooden spoon. “Right on time! It’s almost ready.”  
He held out the bottle of wine hesitantly. “It’s a pinot noir, I thought it would complement dinner.”  
“Thank you.” You tipped your head, surprised. Loki stepped forward to take the wine, saving you from stepping away from the stove. He set it carefully on the counter.  
“Everyone is in the living room, come on.” Thor wrapped an arm around the sorcerer’s shoulders and led him further into the tower. The portal spun shut in a shower of sparks.  
You glanced at Loki. “I’m about to start putting bowls together, do you want to put wine glasses out?”  
He nodded, moving to start setting the table. You pulled the garlic bread out of the oven, setting the loaves in baskets and handing them off to Loki. With his help, you had dinner set and looking perfect in no time. He nudged a basket a little to the left and you quirked an eyebrow at him.  
“It was off-center.” He replied primly. “It offended me.”  
You laughed, bumping him with your hip as you walked into the living room. Everyone looked up at you and it made you nervous. You smiled faintly.  
“Dinner’s ready.” You called, stepping aside and ushering everyone into the dining room. You made your way into the room as they filed past you, throwing your arms around Sam. He picked you up, swinging you.  
“I’m so glad you could make it!” You cheered. Sam laughed, giving you a final squeeze before setting you down.  
“What, miss all this? Steve tells me it’s not every day you cook.” He grinned, glancing at Steve.  
You shrugged. “I’d hate to spoil them with my talent. How was your flight?”  
“Breezy.” Sam chuckled at his joke. You knew his flight suit was stashed in Steve’s room, closely guarded by JARVIS. Not that any of the Avengers would take it, but it made Sam feel better.  
You laughed, bumping him with your shoulder. “I suppose that’s the trade for not flying coach. C’mon, I want to hear all about DC.” You led him into the dining room, Steve following along behind you both.  
You settled in the seat next to Loki, surveying your weird family arrayed around the table. They all looked at you expectantly. You looked at them, holding your palms up.  
“I don’t know what you all are waiting for, the food’s getting cold.” You laughed, shaking your head. It was like breaking a glass, they all started talking and laughing. Loki had poured everyone a glass of wine and set water pitchers on the table for you and you shot him a grateful look. Which turned to consternation as you realized that he’d poured a wine glass for Peter too, who was sipping it carefully.  
Loki shrugged, leaning towards you. “He’s in a safe space and he’s only getting one, relax.”  
You let out a sigh through your nose, considering. “Yeah, alright. Fine.”  
As your attention turned from Loki, you caught Stephen’s gaze. You smiled at each other and he toasted you with his wine glass before getting distracted by something Tony was saying that you didn’t quite catch.  
Dinner did not last long, but everyone stayed around the table talking and joking for hours.  
It warmed your heart.


	10. Chapter 10

You ducked and twisted, fighting the air in the gym. Block, upper cut, turn, high kick. You tucked and rolled, springing back to your feet with a punch.  
Your side was doing better, it was almost completely healed, but you hadn’t been cleared for going back in the field yet. The team was being extra cautious with you, the realization that you couldn’t heal yourself had been jarring for them.  
“(Y/N)!” Someone called behind you. You stopped, turning. Stephen waved to you, dressed in sparring robes. You grinned and walked over to him.  
“Good morning.” You called. “Who are you sparring with?”  
He shrugged. “The punching bag.” He paused, his eyes lighting up. “Unless your side is feeling up to it?”  
“It might be.” You chuckled. “I think you and Bruce are the only people I haven’t sparred with.”  
“Don’t spar with Bruce.” He laughed. “Wait, even Peter?”  
“I ran while he tried to hit me with webbing. It… wasn’t great.” You laughed, looking down.  
He chuckled. “Fair. What do you say?”  
“Sure. Let me know when you’re warmed up.” You stretched, keeping yourself limber and warm while not sacrificing any extra energy. You hadn’t sparred with Stephen before, you weren’t sure what to expect.  
You watched Stephen out of the corner of your eye as he went through a series of moves that all flowed into each other. It occurred to you that you didn’t know what kind of martial arts they’d taught him in Nepal. Suddenly it seemed a relevant question. His moves were smooth, he obviously knew them by heart.  
After a few minutes he stopped and stretched, looking over at you. “Ready when you are.” He called.  
You grinned, gesturing him to the sparring ring. He bowed, motioning you to go first. You shrugged, leading the way.  
You faced each other in the ring. He inclined his upper body, you inclined your head. You angled your bodies at the same time, sliding one foot back and beginning to circle. You looked him over, seeking weaknesses, and he did the same to you.  
He moved first, charging you. You spun out of the way, bringing your elbow around and barely missing the connection with his back as he danced out of the way. The two of you resumed circling, watching.  
There. He’d placed his foot just a little wider than before. You were on him in a flash, catching his arms and bringing your knee up. He broke your grip faster than you’d expected, grabbing your leg and flipping you. You flowed into the motion, landing a crouch and trying to sweep his legs out from under him. He jumped back, just out of range.  
You pressed forward. You landed one kick to his ribs, pulling it at the last second so it was little more than a tap. He swept your legs out from under you, you could have sworn you hadn’t seen him move, but you turned it into a roll and whatever he had planned next never happened.  
It became a dance. Circle, charge, try to break their defense, part, circle.  
His placed his foot just a little wide again and you moved forward, trying to land a blow. He flowed like water between your punches, reaching up to grip you by the front of the shirt and the top of your leggings. He pulled up and over, landing you on your back on the mat. Not forcefully, but enough to knock the breath out of you. He put a knee on your chest, keeping you from taking a full breath, and rested a hand to your throat.  
He raised an eyebrow. You scowled as you tapped the mat. He let you up, offering a hand to pull you up.  
You rubbed your sternum, looking at him thoughtfully. “Nicely done. I’ve never seen that fighting style before.”  
“I figured. They don’t teach it outside of Kamar Taj.”  
“Does it have a name?”  
He smiled sadly, not answering. You nodded.  
“Fair enough. It’s very… graceful.”  
He chuckled. “Thank you. Do you want to go again?”  
You shook your head. “Naw, this is going to be enough of a bruise for me.”  
He nodded, then hesitated. “Maybe a cup of tea, then? At the Sanctum?”  
You considered. You were still trying to get the know the doctor better, this would be a good way to do it. The tea was an excellent bonus. “I would like tea. After a shower, of course.”  
“Of course.” He inclined his head. “I can open a portal in the living room in, say, forty-five minutes?”  
You nodded. “That sounds good.”  
He smiled faintly, opening a portal and disappearing as you headed for the elevator.  
*  
You showered quickly, tossing on a pair of pants and a comfortable shirt before heading to the living room. You sat on the arm of the couch, and it was only a couple minutes later that a portal opened in the middle of the room. Stephen poked his head through.  
“Ready?”  
“Ready. I just… step through?” You asked. He nodded.  
Stepping through was a strange feeling. Not jarring but you stumbled a little as you tried to regain your bearings. Stephen dropped the portal, reaching out to steady you. You smiled at him gratefully.  
Then you noticed the room behind him and let out a long breath of air. “Oh my god.” You whispered.  
He grinned, gesturing behind himself. “Welcome to the New York Sanctum Sanctorum.”  
You craned your neck, looking up. And up. He had opened the portal just inside the front door, placing himself in front of the giant staircase. The architecture was beautiful, all wood and stone and sweeping arches. The many broad windows provided most of the light. It felt warm and inviting, yet distant and cold at the same time. It was odd.  
You grinned at Stephen. “It’s beautiful.”  
“Let me give you the tour.” He preened under the praise, leading you upstairs. The collection of artifacts left you breathless, again, and he gave you the quick over-view of them as he led you across the room. The cloak was floating near the back and you walked up to it, holding out your hands. It rested its silver clasps in your palms and you gently squeezed.  
“It’s good to see you again.” You smiled, greeting the cloak. You heard Stephen make a surprised sound behind you. “I trust he’s been taking good care of you?”  
The cloak seemed to nod and you laughed.  
“Good.” You peered a little closer. “Is that new stitching? It looks very sharp, did you do it?”  
The cloak bent the tips of its collar in, as if ducking its head.  
“Don’t be modest, it looks lovely.” You squeezed its clasps again, pulling your hands away. “I’m afraid I must beg your pardon though, Doctor Strange was just giving me the tour.”  
The cloak made a shooing motion, return its attention to a glass-cased artifact. You turned back to Stephen expectantly, he was shaking his head and smiling.  
“This way.” He gestured you down a hallway, waiting until you were away from the cloak before chuckling. You raised a questioning eyebrow. “I have never seen anyone else talk to the cloak.”  
You shrugged. “We talked a little in the town, while you were astral projecting.”  
Stephen looked surprised. “Really?”  
“I mean, we’re not friends? But we’re friendly. I like them.”  
He nodded thoughtfully. “It seems they like you too.”  
The tour continued. Rooms of magical artifacts and doorways to other places were followed by bedrooms and living areas that seemed like so much more purely by association. You were delighted.  
Stephen took you back downstairs, through the receiving room and the kitchen and into the study. There was a man sitting near the fireplace, studiously copying notes from a book. Stephen cleared his throat. The man looked up, raising an eyebrow.  
“Wong.” Stephen called. “This is (Y/N).” He turned to you. “(Y/N), this is Wong. He was one of my masters in Kamar Taj, he keeps the sanctum with me.”  
Wong stood, shaking your hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you finally.”  
“It is a pleasure to meet you as well. May I ask what you taught?”  
“I was the librarian, when the old one was killed.” He chuckled at the look on your face. “Don’t worry, the new one is much tougher to kill.”  
“Wong.” Stephen groaned.  
“Tougher to kill is good.” You agreed carefully. “I would imagine the library is not small, you must have had an interesting job.”  
Wong shrugged. “I like this one better, I think. More fights.”  
You nodded. “I feel Stephen attracts them.”  
“He does.” Wong chuckled. “I am not bored for long.”  
Stephen groaned. “Wonderful, so glad you two get along. Wong, we’ll be having tea upstairs if you need me.”  
Wong nodded, tipping his head to you in farewell. You returned the gesture, turning to follow Stephen out and back up the stairs. He led you up to a small room off the artifacts gallery. There were a pair of armchairs with a small table between them. One wall was almost entirely windows, filling the room with a homey glow. Stephen gestured you to one of the chairs, retrieving a tea set from the cabinet sitting against another wall. He set it on the table between you, waving his hand and pouring steaming tea into two cups. He set one in front you, cradling the other in his hands as he sat.  
There was a tense silence for a moment before you laughed, shaking your head. “This place is amazing, how long have you been here?”  
“A few years now.” He shrugged. “I have grown very fond of it.”  
“I can see why.” You blew softly on your tea, taking a tentative sip. Your eyebrow raised. “How did you know my favorite tea?”  
Stephen laughed. “I didn’t, it’s the magic. As soon as you touched the cup, it became what you wanted.”  
You chuckled. “Clever. What is yours?”  
“Nepali. It reminds me of the school.” He smiled softly. “Yours?”  
“Rose. My college roommate used to drink it.” You paused, biting your lip. “What did Wong mean when he said he was finally meeting me?”  
Stephen blushed faintly. “We… talk about the Avengers.”  
“Including me?” You smiled faintly at his obvious discomfort.  
“Including you.”  
You laughed. “With the things I’m sure he’s heard, I would not have thought he’d want to meet me.”  
“Are you kidding? With as much consternation as you’ve caused me, you might be his favorite person. I’m surprised he didn’t ask you to move in.” Stephen stopped, his face falling as he realized what he’d said.  
Your laughter caught him by surprise. “Oh, you two must love living together then.”  
He shrugged. “Wong’s my family. It’s like you and the Avengers, you’d fight for them but you delight in their discomfort.”  
“Poetic, and very true.” You smiled. “I think you feel that way about the Avengers too, though.”  
“A little.” Stephen wiggled his hand.  
“You try to play it so stoic, I knew you were just as bad as the rest of us.”  
“It’s much easier when you don’t live in the tower. How is that going, by the way?”  
“I’m not dead yet, and neither is anyone else.” You snorted. “It’s a little like super hero college.”  
Stephen shook his head. “Better you than me, that sounds terrible.”  
You shrugged. “It’s a mix. There’s always someone around so you’re never alone. But you’re also never alone.”  
“There are some weeks I don’t even see Wong, except maybe in passing in the kitchen.”  
“You must get very lonely.”  
Stephen started to say something, then shook his head. “Sometimes, yes.”  
You hesitated. The truce was still new, you still weren’t friends. But in the interest of keeping the olive branch extended… “You know you’re always welcome in the tower?”  
Stephen chuckled. “Do the other Avengers know you’re making that offer?”  
“They like you.”  
“And Loki?”  
“I can deal with Loki.” Stephen snorted, shaking his head. “What?”  
“I- Your best friend is a threat to the Earth, you know that right? He’s an incredibly powerful trickster god and you ‘can deal with’ him?”  
“I know, and I can.” You shook your head at his disbelieving look. “You don’t have to believe me.”  
“I will believe it when I see it. But, let’s not get into this. I will… bear in mind your offer to come to the tower more often.”  
You inclined your head. Then smiled. “There was a vase in the artifact hall, what is it?”  
“The big one?” He asked. “With the complicated design on the front that looks like flowers but isn’t?”  
“Yes! That one.”  
“A vase.” He laughed at the crestfallen look on your face. “But the smaller one, in the glass, contains the soul of an ancient king.”  
You spent a couple hours talking and joking, the conversation flowing smoother than you’d expected. You covered everything from Stephen’s time at Kamar Taj and the projects he was working on, to how your training had been going since your injury healed and terrible stories about the Avengers (including such gems as The Time Peter Filled The Kitchen With Bubbles, When Thor Cooked A Turkey With Lightening and You Have To Promise Not To Tell Clint I Told You This No Seriously Swear You Won’t).  
He was still laughing over the last story when he went to set his cup down and you noticed how hard his hand was shaking. He folded his hands on his lap, as if to hide the tremors. You leaned forward.  
“Stephen.” You started, unsure how to continue. He raised an eyebrow at you and you sighed. “I don’t mean to be rude, but may I look at your hands?”  
He stilled, seeming to stop breathing for a moment. Then, slowly, he nodded. “I- Yes. You may.” His voice was hesitant, nervous.  
You set your cup down, pushing yourself out of the chair and kneeling in front of him. He started to protest and you waved him off. “My knees aren’t the best, but this is fine.” You turned your hands palm up, looking up at him. He swallowed, setting his hands on yours. You closed your eyes.  
You were ready for the wall this time, sliding past it easily. You started in his forearms, sliding a critical eye down his wrists and into his hands. You found every place where a nerve or a blood vessel ended too soon, where the bones had healed in a jagged line. Where thick scars impeded movement. You squeezed his hands, opening your eyes and looking up at him thoughtfully.  
He looked terrified.  
“I don’t know.” You said gently. “There’s a lot of damage and it’s healed like this. I’ve never tried to fix something this… established before. Even if I can work on it, it’s going to be slow. It’ll take time. But I’ll try if you want me to.”  
“Please.” His voice came out a hoarse whisper, almost breaking. You nodded, letting go of his hands and resettling yourself on the floor. The carpet was surprisingly comfortable. You took hold of his hands as you inhaled and on the exhale you lost awareness of the world.  
*  
You regained awareness of your body slowly. You wiggled your toes, wiggled your fingers around Stephen’s hands. You let go of them slowly, dropping your hands into your lap and stretching your back before you regarded him. He was watching you intently.  
“It’s going to take time.” You nodded slowly. “But I think I can at least make it better. I fixed some veins, your hands should be a little warmer.”  
You were still adjusting to being yourself, not a formless consciousness disentangling the crossed lines of the doctor’s hands, and it took you a second to realize he was crying.  
“Hey, no, none of that.” You whispered, reaching out to wipe a tear from his cheek. You realized what you were doing as your thumb brushed the dampness, the gentleness of the gesture startling you, and you slowly pulled your hand back.  
“Sorry.” He said thickly, scrubbing at his face. “Sorry. I just… I’d given up.”  
“I don’t know if I can fix it.” You warned.  
He shook his head. “Anything you can do will be better.”  
You nodded, carefully standing and resuming your seat in the arm chair. “It’s going to take a lot out of me. We should set up a schedule. Every week maybe, barring missions.”  
He nodded. “Every week sounds good.”  
“Good.” You tried to stand and promptly collapsed back into the armchair. “Shit, it’s really going to take a lot out of me.”  
“Stay.” Stephen stood. “I’ll bring you something to eat.” He walked swiftly out of the room, presumably to the kitchen, and you allowed yourself to sink into the chair.  
Everything in your body was tired. Maybe not as tired as when you’d saved that operative’s life, but it was close. You groaned.  
Wong appeared in the doorway, looking at you thoughtfully. You were too tired to jump, opting instead to raise an eyebrow.  
“Can you really fix his hands?” Wong asked softly.  
“Hell if I know. I can try.”  
Wong nodded, turning and disappearing from view. You closed your eyes.  
When Stephen came back with a plate of cheese and fruit, you were asleep in the chair. He smiled, softly.


	11. Chapter 11

The team had gotten a lead on the people who had sent the bombs to the tower. Tony had almost refused to let you go on the mission to find them, his concern that your personal vendetta would cloud your judgement wasn’t unfounded. Steve and Clint had argued him down, there was no way to tell what they were walking into. This wasn’t the branch of the organization that had sent the packages, a small warehouse of operatives that had been taken out quickly the day the bombs had been delivered. This was the umbrella, if you will. What you did know was they were well-connected, well-armed and posed a threat. If they’d struck the tower once, they were liable to do it again.  
So two days of planning later, you found yourself on the plane sitting between Loki and Thor. Steve and Tony were flying, bickering over mission details. Bruce and Clint sat across from you. Natasha was out on an intelligence gathering mission elsewhere, Stephen was still researching the book and Peter hadn’t argued when you and Tony had told him he wasn’t coming.  
The flight went quickly, you were keyed up. These were the people who had orchestrated the attack that had ended up outing you and Tony was so right about this being personal for you. Loki had spent the first few hours of the flight trying to calm you down, he had finally given up with a gentle reminder that you were defense and you needed to act like it.  
The plan had three parts. Once you landed, as a group you would reach the cluster of buildings they were using. Then you would fan out into three teams; Steve and Tony circling right, Thor, Bruce and Clint circling left, and you and Loki staying out of sight. Then they would infiltrate the buildings and subdue anyone they found while you and Loki waited to be needed.  
It was simple and straight forward and the first two parts went off without a hitch.  
You and Loki were crouched behind a nearby rock formation, listening to the yelling and the gunshots that were starting up. You couldn’t pace off your nervous energy, opting instead to tap out an unsteady rhythm in the air beside your leg. Loki glanced at you periodically, nervous.  
Then an explosion shook the ground. Loki threw himself over you, you wiggled just far enough to see the debris from one of the buildings starting to fall.  
Your radio crackled. “-the things from the science labs. Repeat, there are several of the things from the science labs.” Clint’s voice was staticky.  
“They have bombs.” Steve’s came through a little clearer. “And they aren’t afraid to detonate their own buildings.”  
You could hear the Hulk roar, followed by the sounds of a building falling and a pair of large thunderclaps.  
“Loki, get in here. (Y/N), stay put.” Tony’s voice came through crystal clear. Loki looked at you and you nodded.  
“Go.” You hissed.  
“Stay here.” He hissed back, before vanishing.  
You cautiously poked your head around the rock, taking stock. Three of the buildings were piles of rubble. People were running everywhere, periodically you spotted an Avenger. The air was rife with gunshots and lightening and the occasional roar from the Hulk. As you watched, a fourth building turned to rubble, the explosion knocking you to the ground.  
You took a deep, steading breath that didn’t do as much good as you’d hoped for. Carefully, you pushed yourself up, peering around the rock again. Two people ran out of one of the buildings, their legs bending in a way you hadn’t seen before. You blinked, watching them race for another building.  
What was it Clint had said, ‘the things from the science labs’? You thought back to the mission, you hadn’t seen anything abnormal. You also hadn’t been looking for anything abnormal, and hadn’t the person that grabbed you had large hands?  
You shook your head. You would have to ask Steve. Later, on the plane. For now… You watched a particularly large bolt of lightening strike the other side of a building. For now there were more pressing matters.  
“-West building.” Clint’s voice was still staticky. “I’ve been hit.”  
“Which building?” You asked, fumbling the radio.  
“Storage, to the West.”  
You ran, staying low and ducking from cover to cover. You made it to the storage building without being seen, somehow. You slipped through the door, hardly breathing as you listened for movement. It sounded like you were alone. You moved forward cautiously, looking for Clint. You found him tucked in the corner of some boxes, hidden. Your eyes danced over the bodies near him as you dropped to your knees next to him.  
“Gun shot.” He whispered. “Left leg, right near my artery.”  
You nodded, shoving your hands down the neck of his suit. You healed fast, letting yourself drift out of yourself and trusting that Clint was watching. You heard his gun go off as you returned to your body, wound healed. You whirled around, watching the man that had snuck up on you fall. His legs bent wrong and you inhaled sharply, turning back to Clint and pointing at the man.  
“What the fuck?” You signed urgently.  
“I’ll explain later.” He signed back, standing. “You need to hide.”  
You shook your head, gesturing around yourself. “Where?” You signed.  
He sighed, looking past you. “Fine. Follow me.” He signed, crouching and heading for the door. You got low, following after him.  
He pushed the door open slowly, the motion going unnoticed in all the chaos. He moved quickly from building to building, you kept close on his heels. The earth shook again, another building going up in a cloud of debris. Clint grabbed you, shoving you into a building and following after you. You listened to the wood bounce off the roof, waiting for someone to jump out at you. No one did.  
When the worst of the clatter from the roof subsided, Clint moved back outside. You followed, keeping one on him and one eye on the field around you.  
Steve came running around a building, throwing his shield and knocking down a line of combatants. He vaulted off a barrel, catching his shield and throwing punches as he landed. You watched the man drop off the roof behind him, watched the strange bend to his legs as he landed. As you watched him raise his hand, something clasped in it, you realized Steve didn’t know the man was there. Your heart clenched as you froze, turning fully towards the scene.  
“Steve!” You yelled as loud as you could. “Behind you!”  
Steve dropped instantly, rolling to the right and avoiding the blow. He sprang to his feet, hitting the man with his shield and spinning to face you.  
Unfortunately, everyone else in your immediate vicinity had also turned to face you. You heard Clint mutter something foul under his breath the moment before an arrow went whizzing past your head.  
You dove, grabbing a piece of metal piping laying on the ground and spinning to face your soon-to-be-attackers. Steve started throwing punches, trying to shift the attention back onto himself. Clint notched another arrow when it became clear that wouldn’t work and you hefted the pipe experimentally.  
There had been a couple days, during training, when Natasha and Clint had done some weapons combat. You weren’t great at it, but you could manage. You and Clint dove, him releasing another arrow, barely avoiding the gunfire that ripped into the air where you’d been standing.  
You went opposite directions, Clint circling left and firing a volley of arrows. You went right, ducking and swinging. Your pipe connected with a man’s leg, knocking him off his feet, and you hit him in the head. You didn’t have time to consider what you were doing before you were turning and swinging at the next man, knocking him down only to watch him be replaced by two more. You groaned, the noise was attracting more people to fight.  
“Eyes!” Someone bellowed from above you. You closed your eyes, dropping into a crouch. There was a deafening crack, a bright blue light burned your eyes through the lids and you hair stood on end. When you opened your eyes, the group of people that had been advancing on the three of you were all lying on the ground, smoking slightly. Thor was hovering over them. He glanced at you, grinning and giving you a thumbs up when he noticed your pipe.  
Threat neutralized, he took off towards a roar from the Hulk. Steve and Clint shared a look.  
“Get her out of here.” Steve called. Clint nodded, grabbing your arm and taking off running. You didn’t drop your pipe, managing to keep pace with him.  
He left you behind the rock you’d started at, circling around to not give away your position. Your radio didn’t go off again before they’d cleared the facility, but when they all trooped back to you there were plenty of cuts and wounds to be healed.  
Steve flew on the way back. You made your way into the cockpit, tapping Tony on the shoulder. He looked up at you in surprise, but gave you his seat. Steve glanced at you, sighing.  
“Thank you, for earlier.” He said softly.  
You nodded. “Of course. I can’t help but think I’m missing something, though.”  
“You are.” Steve shook his head. “It’s… a long explanation.”  
“I’m not going anywhere.” You leaned back, studying his face.  
“Okay.” He took a deep breath. “We’re finding links between a crime family that’s popped up on our radar and a bunch of occult groups.”  
You raised an eyebrow. “Who?”  
“The Bianchi’s. We have reason to believe they were funding the terrorist group we just went after. This mission links the terrorist group with those scientists, you remember the raid on the labs in the middle of nowhere?”  
You nodded.  
“Some of the experiments we ran into there were here too, so that links the family to the scientists as well. Strange has been looking over their notes, they shouldn’t have been able to make hybrids like that.”  
“Hybrids?”  
“Human-dog, to start.”  
You hesitated before nodding again, thinking about the way those men’s legs had bent.  
“Strange is also looking at that book we got from those cultists.” You pointed out.  
“He is. Those cultists shouldn’t have been so well-armed, we’re expecting to find that the family is funding them too.”  
“What are they hoping to gain by bankrolling experimental science and cults?”  
“That’s what we’re trying to find out.”  
You were quiet for a while, mulling it over. “Why didn’t you tell me all this sooner?”  
Steve looked abashed. “We didn’t have much concrete evidence, it was a theory Tony, Clint, Natasha and I were kicking around. And you’re defense, we didn’t think…” He sighed. “Sorry.”  
You nodded. “I want weapons training.”  
Steve looked at you, startled. “What?”  
“If this is turning out to be big, I want weapons training.”  
“Firearms?”  
You winced, considering. “I don’t know if I could kill someone…”  
Steve snorted. “I don’t know if we can afford to have Batman on our team.”  
“I still don’t want something that lethal… Let me talk to Natasha, we’ll figure something out.”  
He nodded. “Alright.”  
You sat in silence, watching the world fly by under the plane. Things were so much simpler up here, everything was a streak of color representative of something. Those dark streaks were trees, the yellow fields of wheat, the blue water. There were no details, no problems. You sighed, shaking your head as you stood. You clapped Steve on the shoulder, making your way back to sit next to Loki. He looked down at you, raising an eyebrow as you leaned on him.  
“Later.” You said, smiling faintly. He nodded, going back to his conversation with Bruce.  
You tuned them out, focusing on trying to sort through the turmoil of your thoughts. What non-lethal weapons were there that you could learn to use, and quickly? If this turned out to all be a plot on the part of the Bianchi family, who else were they bank rolling? What was their plan? What was the next step?  
By time you landed, you hadn’t made much progress. You’d just developed a headache.  
*  
Mr. Kobayashi came to the tower three days a week to train you. It had taken you and Natasha a couple hours to work out the best weapon to train you with, you’d finally settled on the bo staff. Effective but not necessarily lethal. She had called an old acquaintance who had started a school in New York. In exchange for getting to use the line ‘has worked with the Avengers’ in his advertisements and a fair amount of compensation, he agreed to get you competent in fighting as fast as possible.  
You were reminded of when you first joined the Avengers. You were tired, everything hurt and you weren’t sure where some of your bruises were coming from. But you were learning.  
Stephen opened a portal in the living room two weeks after you’d gotten back from the mission. He stepped through, his clothes disheveled and his hair in disarray, two books tucked under his arm. You couldn’t help smiling, seeing him anything less than perfect was a novel experience. It made him seem almost human. He was a little wild-eyed, looking around the room but not really seeming to see any of it. You stood, walking toward him with your hands out.  
“Stephen.” You called gently. “Who are you looking for?”  
“Tony, and Steve.” He blinked, focusing on you. “(Y/N). There was… We were supposed to do something?”  
You nodded slowly. “I was going to work on your hands?”  
His face fell. “Ah. Yes. That. Why haven’t we?”  
“You haven’t answered your phone. For two weeks.”  
He blinked again. “I… right. Yes, I suppose I haven’t.” He shook his head. “My apologies, I should like to make plans with you later. For the moment, though, Tony and Steve?”  
You reached out, taking his hand. “Come on.” As you lead him to the elevator, you gently sent a tendril of consciousness into the doctor and tried to take the edge off his frazzled demeanor.  
“Jarvis.” You called as the elevator door shut. “Would you please ask Tony and Steve to meet us in the briefing room? Please tell them it’s urgent.”  
“Of course, (Y/N).” JARVIS’ voice made Stephen jump.  
You looked at him, concerned. His disheveled look was cute- You stopped, blinking. Stephen and cute had never been words you’d associated with each other and the thought made you uncomfortable. You elected to ignore it. He was jumpy, not put together and having trouble focusing. You got the feeling he hadn’t slept much and you frowned up at him.  
“Stephen.” You kept your voice gentle. “What have you been doing?”  
He groaned. “Translating this gods damned book.” He shifted the two books under his arm for emphasis.  
“Translating?”  
“I’ll explain when we have Steve and Tony.”  
“Have you been sleeping?”  
He paused. “Yes.”  
“How much?”  
“I don’t have to answer that.”  
You sighed, glaring. “Fine. Have you been eating?”  
“Yes. Wong brings me food.”  
“Good. I assume you haven’t left the sanctum?”  
He shook his head and you nodded, frowning harder.  
“I haven’t had time.” His voice softened. “This is important.”  
“It’s always important, Stephen. That’s why you have to be careful to take care of yourself. It’s too easy to get caught up.”  
“This is really-“ You held up a hand, cutting him off.  
“It always is, Stephen.” He sighed.  
You squeezed his hand without thinking, without remembering that you were holding it. You’d stopped trying to blunt the edges of his tiredness when the elevator doors closed, you’d just forgotten to pull away. You both looked down in surprise, twin blushes forming on your faces as you hurriedly pulled your hands away before the doors opened.  
Steve was waiting by the elevator doors, arms crossed. He raised an eyebrow in surprise as he took in the doctor’s appearance. Stephen ran a hand through his hair, trying and failing to smooth it down.  
“Tony’s waiting in the meeting room.” Steve turned, leading the way. He held open the door, eyeing you as you walked past him but he didn’t try to stop you.  
Stephen dropped the books on the table, resting his hands on either side of them and looking to Tony and Steve.  
“We have a problem.” Stephen began. Tony barked a harsh laugh.  
“We’re the Avengers, when do we have anything but problems?” The scientist asked.  
Stephen shook his head. “This is… unique.” He flipped open the book from the cult and slid it to the three of you.  
The writing wasn’t English, it was some script you didn’t recognize. The writing was small, accompanying illustrations, and everything was written in some kind of blue ink. The three of you looked at it and back to Stephen, uncomprehending.  
“Different books are written in different languages. I expected to have to translate this.” Stephen absent-mindedly ran a hand through his hair. “But this… This is a different language, and in a cipher. A couple ciphers.”  
“Can you read it?” Tony asked. Stephen nodded.  
“Kamar Taj had some examples of these ciphers, it’s been recorded before, and I was able to piece most of it together. The problems come from where the ciphers originate.”  
Steve and Tony looked at him expectantly.  
“There is an arcanist who was believed dead, many decades ago, who used all of these ciphers. He spent most of his life figuring out how to open gates between worlds, and what existed in those worlds. We’ve made a lot of progress in charting other worlds since he died, but considering that he ‘died’ travelling to other worlds we can’t know what he’s learned.” Stephen rubbed his face.  
“You’re saying he didn’t die?” Steve asked and Stephen nodded.  
“This book was written after he disappeared, indicating that he’s come back. Which means he’s charted other worlds, other dimensions.”  
“Could someone have just… found the book?” Tony raised an eyebrow.  
“No.” Stephen shook his head. “The book changes part-way through, from charting worlds to instructions to building a bridge from our world to theirs. What could have changed his focus?”  
“A desire to get back?” Steve snorted, but Tony’s eyes had widened.  
“Someone with money and an agenda?” Tony asked carefully.  
Stephen pointed to Tony. “Exactly. Steve, you said the cult had tried to summon something while you were fighting them?”  
Steve nodded.  
“But you were able to stop them. Because they didn’t anticipate us showing up. They are going to try again, and this time they are going to be prepared for us.”  
“What are they trying to bring through?” Steve asked.  
“An old god, I think. Typical power move, over-done if you ask me.” Stephen sniffed.  
“Where are they going to do this?” Tony asked.  
“I don’t know. There’s a place mentioned a few times in the book, I tracked the coordinates to a farm on the outskirts of Northern Ohio. I don’t know what’s there.”  
Steve nodded. “If it’s specified in the book, we’re going to check it out.”  
Stephen slid him a page with the address on it.  
“What is this arcanist’s name?” You asked, making Tony and Steve jump. They’d forgotten you were there.  
“William Burnhart.”  
“There’s nothing in the book about where he’d be?”  
“He mentions being in ‘the light of the blue sun’, but there’s any number of worlds-“  
Tony slammed his hands on the table, grinning wildly. “The Bianchi family crest has a sun on a blue field.”  
“That’s purely conjecture, I can think of five worlds with different colored suns.” Stephen sighed.  
“It would make sense though.” Steve mused. “If they were bankrolling the cult, it only makes sense that they bankroll the arcanist guiding them.”  
Stephen blinked. “That… does make some sense.”  
“Okay.” Tony stood, sighing. “JARVIS, please alert the team. We will be flying out in an hour and we don’t know what we’re walking into.”  
“Right away, Mr. Stark.”  
Tony turned to Stephen, glaring. “If the arcanist is there…”  
“I’m going with you.” Stephen held his hands up, forestalling argument. “If the arcanist is there, you will need me.”  
You reached across the table, grabbing his sleeve. “If you’re coming, then you’re catching a power nap before we go. Come on.” You looked to Steve and Tony. “I’ll put him the spare room and go get ready.”  
They nodded, following you the elevator.  
*  
It was a short flight, you landed in the late afternoon. The nap had done Stephen a little good, he seemed more alert. The team (sans Peter, who was still in class) crept off the plane, on-edge.  
The farm was a cluster of buildings on the edge of a giant field, miles from the nearest neighbor and three quarters fenced in by woods. Tony had landed in a clearing, using the only available cover. You all watched from the edge of the trees. There was movement in the main building and in the giant barn, cars were parked out front. Steve nodded slowly, motioning you all further back into the trees.  
“Okay.” He hissed. “Three teams. Hawkeye, Widow and Dr. Strange will take the house. Hulk, Loki and I will take the barn. Iron Man and Thor will sweep everything else, when you’re done keep watch outside for anyone trying to get away.” He fixed you with a look. “Stay here.”  
You bit your tongue, nodding. You weren’t far enough along with the staff to be useful yet and you all knew it.  
They left you on the edge of the woods, creeping along the backs of the buildings until they were out of sight.  
The gunfire started in the barn, followed by the Hulk roaring. Then the sound of gunfire and windows breaking from the house. You exhaled hard, watching and waiting. Somewhere deep in your heart, you couldn’t wait to be better with the staff. You’d been scared of being in the field before, but now… The sitting and waiting, the feeling of helplessness, was terrible. You didn’t want to hurt anyone, but you wanted to be protecting your team. To be there when something happened, not wasting minutes getting to them.  
You shook your head, now wasn’t the time to dwell.  
You heard cars starting, followed by thunder claps and the sound of Tony’s arc reactor.  
Not like they needed you to be offensive, they’d had time to figure out how to work as a unit. The thought made your lips twist in a weirdly prideful smile. You hadn’t expected the fondness you’d developed for the team, the pride you felt at their success and the fear of their failure.  
‘Don’t dwell. Listen.’ You reminded yourself sternly.  
Your radio crackled after a time. “(Y/N), report to the house. It’s clear.”  
You walked across the yard, looking around curiously. The door to the house swung open under your hand, revealing the Avengers gathered in the living room. Tony looked up, nodding to you.  
“No injuries.” He said, shrugging. You gave him a thumbs up, turning your attention to Steve and Stephen.  
“Okay.” Steve sighed. “I briefed you on the plane, obviously this isn’t where the arcanist-“  
“William.” Stephen interjected.  
“-is basing himself out of. This was an arms dealing front. What we do have from this, though, is proof of the Bianchi’s involvement. Which means they’re working to open a portal to a different dimension and do something terrible.”  
“And cliché.” Stephen interjected again.  
“What proof do we have linking them?” Bruce asked. Steve looked to Natasha, who grinned toothily.  
“Head of the operation here was happy to fill us in.” She explained.  
Bruce nodded slowly. “What’s the next step?”  
“We’re working on that.” Tony sighed.  
*  
The plane landed well after sunset, everyone turning in to tackle everything fresh in the morning.  
After breakfast Steve, Tony, Clint and Natasha disappeared to work on the next step. Peter went to school, still complaining about missing the mission. Bruce went to check his experiments, Loki had started another book and you sparred with Thor for a couple hours.  
After a shower and a light lunch, you tried Stephen’s cellphone to no avail. You groaned, falling back on your bed. Then suddenly sat up, grinning.  
“Jarvis.” You called.  
“Yes, (Y/N)?”  
“Do you have Dr. Strange’s phone number?”  
“Cellphone or the sanctum phone?”  
“Sanctum phone, please.”  
JARVIS rattled the number off as you punched it into your phone. You thanked him, grinning as the line began to ring.  
It picked up on the fourth ring.  
“Who is this?” Wong asked, suspiciously.  
“Hi Wong! This is (Y/N)!” You chirped.  
Wong laughed. “To what do I owe this call?”  
“Is Stephen there? He’s not answering his phone.”  
“He is. Do you want me to get him?”  
“Actually. I was hoping you could just… open a portal for me?”  
“Why would you want me to do that?” Wong asked, his voice taking on a suspicious tone.  
“I want to work on his hands and… I feel like he’s been avoiding me?”  
“He’s been avoiding everything, researching that book.”  
“Which I believe is done now?”  
Wong hummed in agreement.  
“Then I think it’s in the good doctor’s best interests to resume trying to repair his hands.”  
Wong chuckled. “I think Strange’s stories did not do justice to how iron-spined you are. Hold on. I will open the portal in the living room.”  
“Thank-“ Wong hung up, and you shook your head with a smile. You hurried for the living room, making it down the stairs just as the portal opened. You stepped through and Wong closed it.  
He nodded to you and you nodded back. You opened your mouth to thank him and he waved you off, silently leading you to the study Stephen had sequestered himself in.  
The door swung open as you pushed on it. Wong chuckled under his breath and left.  
Stephen didn’t look up from his desk. He was wearing different clothes and his hair looked brushed, you chose to assume he had slept. You stepped into the room, leaning against the doorframe. He still didn’t look up.  
You shook your head, smiling, and knocked on the wall.  
He jumped, spinning around with an accusing glare. “Wong, I told you I-“ He stopped, confused.  
“Hi.” You waved. “You weren’t answering your phone.”  
He looked around him, turning to shuffle the things on his desk. He sighed, giving up when his phone didn’t reveal itself. “Sorry.”  
“What are you working on?” You tipped your head curiously.  
“I’m… going over the book again.” He turned back to you but didn’t quite meet your eyes.  
“Why?”  
“I want to make sure I didn’t miss anything.”  
You snorted. “You? Miss something? You’re the most… detail-oriented person on the team, I think.”  
He shook his head. “Maybe, but this is… I can’t afford to miss anything. This is dangerous magic we’re going up against.”  
You raised an eyebrow, silent.  
“If anything happened to any of you because I missed something…” He trailed off, staring at the floor.  
You nodded slowly. “I understand, but come on Stephen. Do you really think you missed something? You? How many times have you combed over this book?”  
“Three.”  
You laughed, stepping forward to grab his sleeves and pull him out of his chair. “Come on, Stephen. You’re just spinning your wheels.”  
“What?” He asked, perplexed, as he allowed you to pull him out of his chair.  
“Spinning your wheels? It means using a lot of effort to get nowhere.” You chuckled, leading him out of the office. “Other than yesterday, when's the last time you focused on something else?”  
“Does it matter?” He groaned.  
“Yes. Staring at that book means you’re not processing it. If you’re so worried about missing something, then step back and take some time to think.” You shot him a glare over your shoulder, pulling him downstairs.  
He followed you unresistingly, but he looked around curiously. “Where are you taking me?”  
“Kitchen. I’m assuming you’ve been skipping meals?” He didn’t answer and you snorted. Your mental map of the sanctum was good, you walked into the kitchen with no directions from Stephen. You sat him down on a stool and started poking through his cabinets. He watched in silent amusement as you disappeared into pantries and storage rooms, emerging with things piled in your arms.  
You’d found bread and preserved meat first, making sandwiches the obvious choice. The spreads and vegetables were nearby, the cheese took a little more effort to find. You put together a small stack of sandwiches, grabbing one and setting the rest in front of Stephen. He looked at you, trying to hide his smile.  
“Doctor Strange, I swear if you don’t eat at least two of these I will join forces with Wong and you will never get another moment of peace.”  
“I don’t think Wong would go for that, too much effort.” He laughed as he grabbed a sandwich.  
“I can be very convincing.” You glared, the threat in the gesture undermined by your grin.  
You ate in silence. After the first couple bites, Stephen’s unintended fasting caught up with him and he ate three of the sandwiches. You took your time with your one, studying the layout of the kitchen.  
“You can’t have come here just to make sure I was eating.” He finally spoke up, sheepishly.  
“Nope.” You set your hands on the table, palm up. “I came here to work on your hands.”  
He flushed, nodding. “I guess I did kind of…”  
“Get fixated and forget that was a thing we were doing? Yes.”  
He paused, looking at you in concern. “If we’re going after this arcanist, we shouldn’t be depleting your powers.”  
“We can’t make a move without more intel, and that’s going to take time.” You shook your head. “I have time to recover, and this is important.”  
He sighed, finally setting his hands on yours. You closed your eyes and went to work.


	12. Chapter 12

You shook your head, laughing. “This isn’t… You can’t be serious.”  
Natasha held the dress up, swinging it towards you. “I am quite serious.”  
“I’ve never… gone undercover before. I don’t know how to talk, what to do.”  
“You’re not going undercover, you’re going to a party.”  
“A party held by a family who may or may not be trying to take over the world.”  
“A party.” Natasha stressed the words.  
You shook your head. “What will I say?”  
“Just put on the dress and follow Loki’s lead.” Natasha finally dropped the dress on your head, walking away to pull her own dress out of the closet.  
You sighed, pulling the dress off your head and draping it over the chair next to you. You stripped down, sliding the dress on. Natasha grabbed your shoulders, steering you to a chair and pressing you down into it. You sat, rolling your eyes.  
“This is a terrible idea.” You grumbled, giving up.  
“This is a good idea, everything will be fine.” Natasha corrected, starting to put your makeup on. When she was done she moved on to your hair, and then finished her own appearance. You slipped on the heels provided, standing up to look at yourself in the mirror. You hardly recognized yourself. Natasha had done your make-up in a classic smoky look, setting your hair to compliment your face shape. Your dress clung to you in the right places, flaring out in others. You spun, enjoying the movement of the fabric. From behind you, Natasha laughed.  
You turned and your jaw dropped. She was wearing a tight black dress, her hair up in waves and her makeup perfectly flattering her face. She grinned, stepping into her shoes.  
“Are you ready to go?” She asked, raising one perfect eyebrow. You nodded.  
She grabbed your hand, heading into the hallway to the stairs. Raised voices floated up the stairs and she dropped your hand, hurrying down. You paused, steadying yourself and listening to the argument.  
“-understand why I’m not going too.” Tony didn’t sound angry, more irritated.  
“Because everyone knows your face, and they know you’re an Avenger.” Natasha’s voice was calm.  
“They know you all work with me.” Tony again.  
“I am a sorcerer first, my ends do not always align with the Avengers.” Stephen almost sounded amused.  
“I tried to destroy the world once already.” Loki definitely sounded amused. “It fits that I’d try to do it again.”  
“Former Russian agent.” You could hear the shrug in Natasha’s voice. “Who’s to say I ever really changed sides.”  
“(Y/N)?” Tony asked.  
“No one knows her face.” Natasha explained.  
“Tony, the reasoning is sound. They make the most sense, we’d just compromise the mission.” Steve, his voice almost placating.  
“I still don’t have to like it.” Tony grumbled.  
You shook your head with a sigh, and walked downstairs. You didn’t especially like it either.  
Everyone looked up at the sound of your heels on the stairs. Loki grinned, giving you a once-over and whistling. Clint fist-bumped Natasha, who looked smug. Bruce and Steve paled faintly, while Stephen started to turn red. Peter, holding his camera, shot a scowl at Loki before grinning and giving you a thumbs up. Tony just started to laugh.  
“You let Natasha do your makeup, didn’t you?” Tony asked.  
You shrugged. “It wasn’t presented like a choice.” Tony laughed harder.  
Loki stepped up to the stairs, offering you his arm. You took it, wrapping your arms around his bicep and smiling up at him.  
“Wait! Wait!” Peter called, racing towards the stairs. He lifted his camera, aiming it at the pair of you.  
“What are you doing?” Loki asked dryly.  
“You guys are going to mortify me when prom rolls around.” Peter glanced up from the camera. “I’m pre-emptively getting revenge. Plus, when do you ever look this nice?”  
“I always look nice.” Loki glared.  
“I throw parties.” Tony almost sounded hurt. “We look nice at my parties.”  
“You haven’t thrown a party since (Y/N) joined. Now, smile, both of you.” You and Loki smiled obediently, listening to Peter’s camera click. Finally he nodded, satisfied. “Natasha, Doctor Strange, would you two…” He trailed off, looking unsure.  
Clint laughed, steering Natasha towards the stairs. Stephen sighed, stepping up next to her. Their smiles looked forced, which just made it all the funnier.  
“And the whole group?” Tony asked, grinning. “Just to complete the set?”  
You pulled Loki back up, laughing. The four of you arrayed yourselves, smiling. Peter got three shots before Natasha stepped forward, grabbing Loki’s sleeve and glaring at Peter.  
“I will not forget this when prom season begins.” She muttered something in Russian, dragging Loki over to Tony for some last-minute planning.  
Peter swallowed, looking at you and Stephen. Bruce stepped up behind Peter, setting a hand on his shoulder.  
“One last photo?” Bruce asked, grinning. You looked up at Stephen, shrugging. He shrugged back, stepping up behind you and resting his hands on your waist. You both smiled, Peter took the photo and Bruce gave Stephen a look you couldn’t interpret.  
“(Y/N), Strange.” Natasha’s voice was sharp and you hurried over to her. “We leave in five, are you both clear on the plan?”  
“Yes.” Stephen’s voice was firm. You nodded.  
“Good. Let’s go.” She turned, stalking off toward the elevator. The three of you followed silently.  
*  
You arrived in separate cars. Natasha and Strange arrived first, the double agent and the sorcerer looking to make connections with the powerful family. You and Loki arrived second, the trickster god up to his old plans and the fancy decoration on his arm.  
You sighed, carefully keeping the smile plastered to your face as Loki lead you into the Bianchi’s home. He gave you an amused look.  
“Are you not enjoying all this finery, my dear?” He asked softly.  
You glanced around, biting your lip. “I mean, it’s okay.”  
He snorted. “Not everywhere can be to Asgard’s standards.”  
You hummed, glancing up at him before resuming your perusal of the room. Steve had turned photos of the Bianchi family into flash cards for you, quizzing you on everyone until you knew them all by sight. There were no photos of William the arcanist, no reliable descriptions. You were crossing your fingers that he’d take the bait and approach one of you on his own.  
The Bianchi sisters were clustered together with the daughters of other families, under the close watch of a herd of bodyguards. The eldest Bianchi son was next to his father, talking to a group of older businessmen. You hadn’t spotted Mrs. Bianchi or the other sons yet. Strange and Natasha were nowhere to be seen.  
You gently nudged Loki, angling yourself towards Mr. Bianchi. Loki glanced up, smiling.  
“I suppose it would be rude not to greet our host.” He murmured, steering you towards the group.  
Mr. Bianchi noticed you when you were several feet away. He nudged his son, nodding towards you. His son, Jon, excused himself from the group and moved to meet you. He smiled broadly, reaching out to shake Loki’s hand while keeping himself between you and his father.  
“Mr. Laufeyson, is that right?” The smile lit up his eyes. “We knew you were in New York, but we were so surprised to get your message. It’s an honor to have one of the Aesir as our guest.”  
Loki smiled. “Please, I am glad to attend.”  
“And who is your companion? I don’t believe I caught her name.” Jon turned to you, extending his hand. You took it, curtsying ever so slightly.  
“The lady Hjarndottir, my consort.” Loki supplied. You managed to stay composed, no matter how many times you had gone over it in the plan it had made you laugh.  
“A pleasure.” You kept your voice light, wispy.  
“The pleasure is mine.” He had dismissed you at ‘consort’, the smile no longer reaching his eyes and his attention turning back to Loki as soon as he’d completed the pleasantries. Exactly what you’d hoped for.  
“I must ask, Mr. Laufeyson, what has brought the Bianchi family to your attention? I know we’re successful businessmen in New York, but surely we’re of no interest to Asgard?”  
“Asgard is my brother’s business.” Loki smiled disarmingly. “I am much more interested in the goings-on elsewhere. I caught wind of an interesting project your family is involved in, with a Mr. Burnhart I believe?”  
Jon’s smile turned guarded. “I’m not sure that I know that name.”  
Loki laughed. “I’m sure he’s using other names, he’s a difficult man to pin down. His work is incredible, though. You know the trouble I had to go through to get the Chitauri here? And he just opens time-space rifts like doors.” Loki shook his head, amused. “But this is a party, hardly the time to talk business. Perhaps later we can get together, I should like to offer my assistance.”  
Jon paused, obviously weighing the risk and reward inherent in trusting Loki. Finally he sighed. “You know, my father was just discussing finances with some of his investors. Perhaps you would care to join us?”  
Loki patted your hand, disentangling himself from your arm. “Why don’t you go mingle, my lady?”  
You bowed shallowly to the pair of them, wandering off into the crowd. You took a drink from the tray of a passing waiter, setting yourself with your back to a wall to get your bearings.  
Jon was introducing Loki to his father. Good, there was a recording device on Loki, a mission inside the mission. William was no longer his priority for the evening. Natasha and Strange had appeared, floating between clusters of people. You sighed inwardly, sipping your drink and watching the crowd. There was a cluster of people near you, a fairly even mix of men and women, and you drifted to it just in time to laugh at the joke made by an older man. The hunt was on.  
An hour later, Loki had not reappeared. You had been drifting through the rooms used for the party, not finding anyone who struck as an arcanist bent on destroying the world. You found yourself back in the ballroom, sipping a glass of champagne and listening to some long-winded story that you had tuned out five sentences ago. You laughed when everyone else did, excusing yourself and drifting to another group. You slid into a conversation on tourism in the East, opportunities for real estate purchase. You were surprised when Stephen spoke up, getting into a discussion about the most lucrative markets. You were hardly surprised that he was gently encouraging the investors away from the city around Kamar Taj. You interjected a couple of times with questions, otherwise you sipped your drink and tried to look mysterious. It seemed to be working so far.  
Stephen drifted through the group, stopping next to you as you asked another question about the relative geography of the area around Nepal. One of the other men answered you, turning it into a question about hotel locations for the man next to him. Stephen reached out, touching your elbow, and offered you his arm.  
“My lady, may I have a dance?” He asked softly. You tittered, smiling, and handed your glass off to one of the waiters.  
He guided you to the dance floor, taking your hand just as the song ended and the band struck up a waltz. His steps were sure and graceful, leading you around the floor.  
“Are you finding yourself well this evening, my lady?” He asked, smiling.  
You tittered. “Well enough, I suppose. Yourself?”  
“The conversation is a little lacking, I find. But the company cannot be beat.”  
You snorted, softly. “Anyone in particular strike your fancy?”  
He shook his head. “No one seems versed on the subjects I want to discuss. Yourself?”  
“No, no one.”  
You danced in silence for a few beats, until you chuckled. “I didn’t know you were such a good dancer.”  
“I believe you did say I was full of surprises.”  
You inclined your head.  
“You’re pretty light on your feet too, you know.” He smiled and you flushed slightly.  
“Yeah, well. I used to like dancing.” You glanced down.  
“Used to?”  
“I… got busy, didn’t have a partner.”  
He was silent, thinking. “We… should go dancing. When this done.” He kept his voice quiet.  
You nodded slowly. “I would like that.”  
You both flushed faintly, resuming the companionable silence until the end of the waltz. He lead you to the edge of the dance floor, inclining his upper body slightly as he took his leave.  
You took another drink from another waiter, buying yourself time to look around the room as you slowly sipped it.  
“I could not help seeing you on the dance floor.” A man spoke up next you, making you jump. You pressed your free hand to your chest, turning. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to startle you. Care to dance, miss…?”  
“Hjarndottir. Please, call me Sophie.” You set your drink down, accepting his hand. “You are?”  
“Call me Bill.” He smiled. He looked mid-fifties, salt-and-pepper hair, bright eyes. His smile was charming, his voice like velvet.  
“Bill. A pleasure.” You set your drink down, allowing him to lead you back to the dance floor.  
“Ah, the pleasure is mine.”  
You were unsurprised that it was another waltz. Bill pulled you close to him, leading you further onto the floor.  
“What brings you to this soiree?” You asked, smiling disarmingly.  
“Ah, I am in the employ of the Bianchi family.” He smiled faintly. “You are the… partner of Mr. Laufeyson, I believe?”  
“I am.” You nodded. “You know his majesty?”  
His hands tightened on you. “I know he has been asking after me. I was hoping you would know why.”  
A chill started in your spine as you widened your eyes in surprise. “He has never mentioned a ‘Bill’-“  
“William, then.” He cut you off.  
“Ah.” You tipped your head. “Burnhart?”  
He raised an eyebrow, silent.  
“He has mentioned a Burnhart, but he has not seen fit to share-“  
“Don’t.” He cut you off. “Laufeyson would not ally himself with any woman less intelligent than himself.” He kept his voice low, a pleasant smile on his face. To anyone watching, you were having a friendly discussion.  
You laughed, keeping up the illusion. “Mr. Burnhart, I don’t know what you hope to accomplish. His majesty’s plans are his own.”  
He shook his head, smiling ruefully. “I’m afraid that will not do.” He had lead you across the floor as you danced, closer to the hallways leading into the house. He spun you carefully, keeping a grip on your hand and leading you towards the hallway.  
He chuckled, grinning at you. “I’d be happy to show you, my lady. Right this way.” He pitched his voice just loud enough for the people around you. One of the men guarding the hall stepped forward, looking to Mr. Burnhart. At the arcanist’s nod, the guard let you pass and stepped back into place.  
William led you down the hall, pulling you further into the maze of the house. You managed to stay calm, breathing deeply. You trusted your team, you knew they would notice you were gone and look for you, if they hadn’t seen you leave already. You knew they would come for you.  
He pulled you down another hallway. An arm shot out, punching him in the jaw and making him drop your hand, staggering away from you. Natasha stepped out, hitting him hard enough to knock him out. Stephen stepped out behind her, looking to you.  
“Arcanist?” Natasha asked, nudging William with her shoe.  
“Yes.” You nodded.  
“Good job.” She turned to Stephen. “Let’s go.”  
Stephen opened a portal, holding it while you and Natasha pulled William through. He’d opened it to a small room, the walls looked like the ones in the sanctum. There was a single chair sitting in the center, a rope piled next to it. As soon as you dropped William on the chair, the rope sprang to life to tie him down. Natasha leaned forward, slapping him a couple times. He came to slowly.  
“What the fuck.” He snarled, straining against the ropes. “Who the fuck are you people?”  
Natasha shook her head. “I’ll be asking the questions.”  
“And if I refuse to answer them?”  
Natasha grinned, her eyes sparkling. “Then you will make my night so much better.” She cocked her arm back. The first blow broke his nose, the second shattered it.  
Your hands were clasped over your mouth, out of the corner of your eye Stephen began to pale.  
“Fix him.” Natasha growled. You nodded dumbly, stumbling forward and placing a hand on either side of his face. You threw your consciousness into him, seeking the damage and knitting it as fast as you could. You stumbled backwards as he gasped, wild-eyed.  
“What the fuck.” He hissed. “How the fuck.”  
“Anything I do to you, she can fix. Which means I don’t have to be gentle. So I’m going to ask you some questions, and you’re going to tell me the truth.” She grinned, pulling a knife out of her dress. “Or, you can try to lie. You can refuse to answer. I think I’d like that better.”  
He paled, frantically pulling against the ropes. His hands moved, trying to trace designs.  
“That won’t work.” Stephen’s voice was a little gummy, gaining confidence as he talked. You got the feeling he hadn’t expected Natasha’s tactic either. “This room is warded, nothing you try will work.”  
William scowled but his hands stilled.  
“Now.” Natasha crouched. “Why don’t you tell us what the Bianchi family has you working on.”  
*  
Stephen opened a portal to a back corner of the garden, you both stepped out into the shadows. The guests of the Bianchi’s were all on the other side, closer to the light from the back doors. He offered you his arm and you took it gratefully.  
“You handled yourself very well.” He whispered, leading you back towards the party.  
You shook your head. “I didn’t know she would…”  
“I didn’t either.” He sighed. “I don’t… agree with her methods…”  
“But we needed to know.” You sighed, shaking your head.  
He reached over, squeezing the hand you were resting on his arm. As you reached the other guests, stepping into the light, you began to laugh. Not loud enough to draw attention, and natural enough to sound like the continuation of a conversation.  
“I had no idea, dear doctor.” You shook your head, smiling. “You should really talk to my lord, I’m sure he’d be interested in your research.”  
Stephen chuckled. “You think? I had hoped, but he’s such a hard man to get a read on.”  
“I am quite sure, this is right up his alley.”  
“You accompanied him here tonight, did you not?” Stephen led you up the stairs connecting the garden to the ballroom. You nodded.  
“I did. I would be happy to make introductions, although I do not know how… free his time is tonight.”  
“Of course.” He smiled. “I’m sure he has much more important people to speak to.”  
You chuckled, looking around the ballroom for Loki. You were surprised when you found him talking to a group of people not too far from the doors you were walking in.  
“Ah. Let us see.” You turned, steering Stephen towards the group. As you got closer, you removed your hand from his arm, reaching instead for Loki. He turned at your gentle touch, his face lighting up.  
“There you are, my lady. I’ve been looking for you.” His voice was gently reproachful.  
You smiled winsomely up at him. “My apologies, m’lord. I’m afraid the good doctor was regaling me with stories.” You gestured to Stephen, turning Loki to face him. “I think you would find them most interesting.”  
Loki extended his hand, walking through pleasantries with Stephen until the three of you could find a moment to slip away that wouldn’t seem suspicious.  
There was a lot of planning to be done.


	13. Chapter 13

By the time the Avengers assembled in the briefing room the next day, Stark Industry’s legal team had been working for hours. You had been there when Tony handed over the recordings of Loki talking to the Bianchi patriarch and the location of the safehouse Natasha had put the arms dealer in (she’d let them live on the condition they testified, how she got them in the plane and back to New York without anyone else knowing you weren’t sure). Eliza, the head of the legal team, was an old friend and she was almost as excited to see you as she was to start building the Bianchi case. Everyone had taken the attack on the building a little personally, she was as out for blood as you were. You hugged, promised to get coffee, and Tony pulled you away as her team pulled her out the door.  
Things had really changed since you’d joined the team. You allowed yourself a moment to reflect, a moment to miss the friends you never seemed to meet up with, the simplicity of your life before, before you shook the thoughts from your head. There was a lot to be done.  
Everyone was in the briefing room. Loki gave an abbreviated version of his conversation with the Bianchi’s; his past of opening rifts and attacking the Avengers had given the Bianchi’s a false sense of security and they had told him entirely too much. You grinned to yourself, knowing Eliza was probably full of coffee and steering her team with rage-fueled precision right now.  
Natasha laid out everything William Burnhart had said, with explanatory interjections from Stephen. In short, there was another cult being funded to open an interdimensional rift. They were going to pull an old god through and bind it to something in the hopes of controlling it. With the disappearance of the arcanist directing them, it was safe to assume they would make their move sooner than later.  
“Where is Burnhart now?” Steve asked.  
“Kamar Taj.” Stephen smiled faintly. “My compatriots there were displeased with his field of study and wanted to have some words with him.”  
Steve paused, thinking. “Will he be a problem in the future?”  
“No.”  
“Okay, then I’m good with that.”  
“What’s the plan?” Peter asked, raising his hand.  
Tony sighed, resting his hands on the table. “Natasha, you said Burnhart gave you the coordinates for the cult?”  
“Approximately.” She nodded.  
“Strange, you can disrupt the summoning?”  
“Yes.”  
“Then get ready. We fly out in an hour.” Tony stood.  
“The plan…?” Peter was starting to look concerned.  
“Stop them.” Tony smiled wanly, walking out.  
You rested a hand on the teenager’s shoulder, squeezing gently.  
*  
Surprisingly, it was a short flight to the building the cult was using. It was an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of a large town, next to an overgrown field that was just large enough to land the plane in. There was no one guarding the building, no one watching from the windows. The lack of people just increased the tension the team was already feeling, everyone was keyed up and on-edge.  
As the team approached the front doors (Natasha visibly cringed, but Stephen had reasoned that by now they were distracted with the summoning and this was the fastest way in), you dropped back to walk next to Loki. You gently bumped him with your shoulder and he looked at you, eyebrow raised in a question.  
“Help me watch Peter.” You murmured to him. He nodded.  
“I don’t like this.” He murmured back.  
“Neither do I.” He bumped you back as Steve and Thor grabbed the door handles.  
“Don’t die.” He whispered.  
“You too.” You whispered back.  
Steve and Thor threw the doors open. You all raced forward, into the flickering candlelight and the hypnotic sound of chanting.  
The ground floor of the warehouse was a wide open space, all the derelict tables and machines had been moved against the walls. The next level up was just a web of catwalks over looking the floor, the broken windows of offices on the far side of the building glittered in the dim light. There were candles set on the edges of some of the catwalks and in clusters on the floor. Most of the light in the room was coming from a glowing blue circle in the middle of the floor, ringed in chanting cultists. More cultists stepped out of the shadows; some of them with blue energy snaking between their hands, most of them holding guns.  
Stephen shouted something foul, pulling an orange cage around himself as one of the cultists threw a blue energy ball at him. It exploded, spraying blue sparks over the top of the cage. The cage vanished and Stephen threw himself forward, the cloak lifting him off the ground as he prepared a counter attack.  
The cultists surged forward, silent. Peter pulled himself into the catwalks, webbing a couple of cultists to the ground on his way up. Banner began to turn green, making his way towards the abandoned equipment. Thor took to the air, his eye glowing. Loki became six, all of them following Natasha and Steve towards the largest grouping of the cultists. Tony grabbed Clint, dropping him on a catwalk before returning to the fray. You pressed the button to extend your staff, twisting your shoulders and racing forward.  
You lost track of time, dancing between striking and dodging. The chanting was a strange under tone to the gunfire, lending the whole scene an eerie sense of unreality. You dove, a whip of blue energy swinging over your head. It wasn’t magic, you weren’t sure what it was. You swung your staff out, knocking the cultist off their feet, and brought it down on their skull. There was a cracking sound and they stopped moving, the blue light around their hands fizzling out. You nodded silently, that was something at least.  
You were moving along the right side of the room, trying to get closer to the circle in the center. The wall of bodies ringing it kept you from seeing what was happening. Something hit your shoulder, sending you staggering forward. You whirled, hitting the cultist in the side and staggering them. Your next hit knocked them down and the third knocked them out. Wiggling your shoulder, you reminded yourself to thank Tony later for the bullet proofing upgrade to your suit.  
There was a terrible sound, like a thousand windows shattering and steel bending. You fell to a crouch, hissing in pain, and turned to stare at the center of the room. A rift was opening. Your blood seemed to turn to ice.  
“Strange.” Tony’s voice sounded strained over the comm-link. “Any time you want to close that would be really great.”  
“If you felt like getting me closer, that would help.” Stephen sounded even more strained.  
“On it.” You looked up, watching Tony dive into a crowd of cultists to pull Strange up. They circled, dodging gunfire and blue orbs. Peter and Clint both re-directed their attention, trying to suppress the assault on the sorcerer.  
“I still need a hole in that circle.” Stephen growled.  
“Got it.” Your voice was tight as you threw yourself at the circle. You heard something off comms that sounded suspiciously like Stephen swearing,  
One cultist leapt in front of you, raising a gun. You pulled back, preparing to swing, and they dropped to the floor. Three Loki’s stood behind them, grinning as they split into six and moved to flank you. You grinned back, resuming your charge. No one made it past them to stop you and you reached the circle, lashing out with your staff. The four cultists closest to you fell, opening a sizable hole. Loki multiplied, strengthening the fence blocking the hole, and you glanced up.  
“Strange, here.” You called into the comm-link, Strange landing in the open space a second later. He pulled a book from the inside of the cloak and began reading.  
You grabbed a Loki. “Guard him.” You hissed before making your way towards the next chanting cultist. The people ringing the circle were too focused, they didn’t see you until you were on top of them. You took out three more before the other cultists noticed you. One of them got an arm around your neck, pulling you backwards.  
The angle they were holding you at afforded you a perfect view of the catwalks. Peter was swinging from one side of the building to the other, knocking cultists off with bursts of webbing. Clint was trying to pick them off as they climbed up the ladders, he was mostly successful. Tony hovered, trying to take out the ones who did make it onto the catwalks without being on the receiving end of a blue orb. In the center of the room, the rift was getting bigger. You could see an eye staring out, multi-faceted and shimmering.  
You pressed the button on your staff and it retracted. You jammed it backwards, catching the cultist in the gut and loosening their grip on you. You dropped to the floor, slipping free, and swung your leg out to knock them down. There were five more behind them, and none of them looked pleased with you. You grinned, extending your staff and racing forward.  
Strike, duck, feint left, drive your staff into the ground and vault yourself behind them, strike, dive, leg sweep, strike. A blue energy ball caught you in the hip, the resulting explosion sending your backwards. You added ‘energy distribution’ to the list of suit modifications to thank Tony for. You landed hard, tucking into a roll and throwing yourself forward.  
The chanting was getting quieter, Stephen’s voice discernable. There were more cultists lying on the floor than fighting. The Hulk was using abandoned machines like bowling balls, knocking down the larger remaining groups, while Thor was hitting the small clusters with lightening. Natasha and Steve were working their way through the circle.  
You let out a breath. This was going to work.  
The steel-and-breaking-glass sound happened again, louder this time. It knocked the flying Avengers out of the air, everyone else fell to the floor in pain. You took a knee, forcing yourself to look up.  
Stephen was still standing, still chanting, in front of a giant glittering hole in the air. Your eyes refused to focus on the thing stepping through, sliding off it every time you tried to look, but you were left with the impression of a giant millipede. And it was staring at the sorcerer supreme.  
You gritted your teeth, using your staff to push yourself to your feet. Stephen’s was the only chanting now and you stepped in time to its cadence, moving faster as he picked up speed. The millipede began to keen, moving towards him. You pushed yourself harder, running faster and leaping over the fallen bodies of cultists. The Avengers were picking themselves up, but they weren’t on their feet yet.  
Something hit your back, lifting you off the ground. You risked a glance back, Peter’s webbing was stretched from your shoulders to your hips. You looked up at him and he gave you an unsure grin.  
Ah. He was throwing you.  
Almost the second you thought it, the webbing retracted and you sailed through the air. You landed in a crouch just behind Strange. One giant leg was reaching for his chest and you darted forward, staff spinning, to knock it away.  
The thing roared. Stephen kept chanting.  
The edges of the rift were starting to drift back towards each other, but the millipede was still trying to pull itself through.  
There was a crack of lightening, one of the things legs shriveled inward on itself. The crack of gunfire, another fell wetly to the ground. The millipede reared up, roaring. The sound was deafening.  
The rift closed in on its body. You wondered absently if the rift would bisect the thing when it closed, as you knocked another leg away. You hoped it would, it would make things easier. The edges of the rift were touching its body and you were holding your breath, hoping for a quick end.  
The millipede, frighteningly long, fell out of the rift and landed on the floor. Everything shook, knocking Avengers off their feet. The rift closed with a horrific screech.  
Stephen stopped chanting. You looked up, watching the millipede bring its head around to stare at him. You heard the rustle of the books pages as he began to swear.  
You picked yourself up with a sigh, moving to stand between the finally-solidified old god and the only person who stood a chance of stopping it.  
Paperwork had been so much easier than this. You missed paperwork.  
The thing shook itself, charging forward. A pulse from Tony’s arc reactor made it draw up short, screeching in confusion. Behind you, Stephen began chanting again, something different. Loki materialized by your side.  
“Do you have a plan?” He hissed.  
“Keep the doctor alive.” You hissed back.  
He groaned but nodded, disappearing. He reappeared on the other side of the millipede, stabbing it. It swung its head around, but he had already vanished. Thor hit it with a bolt lightening, redirecting its attention. Before it could focus on him, Peter webbed over one of its eyes. It roared again, confused and angry, and refocused on Stephen. Stephen hadn’t moved, he made an easy target.  
It darted forward and you launched yourself to meet it. Your first strike bounced harmlessly off a mandible and you barely jumped out of the way, its mandibles closing with a snap where you had been standing. Your next blow landed on its eye and it reared up, screeching. Your heart sank, it hadn’t asked for this. Hadn’t asked to be summoned by a cult and attacked by the Avengers. Maybe there was still a peaceful ending, some way to work this-  
It darted for Stephen again and you sighed, throwing yourself in the way. You wedged your staff between its open mandibles, preventing them from snapping shut. It lifted up, shaking its head and trying to knock your staff free. You watched it strain, watched your staff bend ever so slightly as it pressed its mandibles together. Finally, your staff snapped and its mandibles shut with a terrible clacking sound.  
That was not ideal.  
The millipede turned its attention to you this time, its one uncovered eye seeming to glare. Your stomach dropped into your feet and it dove for you. You threw yourself to the side, barely missing the impact of its body. You rolled, springing to your feet and running. You could hear the click of its legs as it followed you, and you realized with slowly dawning concern that this was a terrible plan. The millipede was huge, eventually you were going to run into its body. As if on cue the millipede’s back-half loomed before you. You leapt, landing on one of its legs and scrabbling your way up and over its back. You tumbled down the far side, rolling away from it half-dazed. The millipede’s head loomed over you as it twisted on itself, mandibles open wide. You must have hit your head, the edges of the millipede were starting to get fuzzy. It screeched, diving for you.  
You’d had a good run, you reflected as you started into the old god’s eye. The Avengers had become the family you’d always wanted, Loki had become the best friend you’d ever had and Stephen… Well, you had some regrets about Stephen. You would have liked to have gone dancing with him, maybe asked about that unreadable look he’d been giving you lately.  
C’est la vie.  
Your vision exploded in gold, fading to red then to black.  
You thought you heard Stephen yelling, as the blackness overtook you.


	14. Chapter 14

You were laying on something hard.  
You cracked open an eye, shutting it immediately against the bright white light. Your head ached, which meant it was still attached. Your shoulder ached, which meant it was still attached too. You started with your toes, twitching all the muscles in your body to see if anything was missing. Everything was accounted for.  
Okay. What was the last thing you remembered.  
Cultists. A swarm of people in black robes with guns, all but filling the warehouse. The summoning circle, you’d closed the rift. But something had fallen through, you strained to remember the shape of the millipede.  
Distant voices drifted to you.  
“-be fine, but we won’t know until-“ The voice faded, as if they were turning away.  
“-should be soon, it’s almost been a week.” Another voice, so familiar.  
“-stable. I don’t think there was any lasting damage.” A third. Who…?  
“No lasting damage?” The first voice laughed, a harsh sound.  
“You know what he means.” The second voice had to be Steve, the note of exasperation was too like him. If that was Steve, that meant you were safe. Were you back in the medical labs?  
“No one’s been that close to a soul being bound before, we don’t know what the effects are. She could be a shell.” Stephen. That meant the third voice was probably Bruce. You were definitely back in the medical labs.  
“We won’t know until she wakes up, Stephen.”  
Stephen said something in response, too soft for you to hear.  
“I know. She’s a fighter, if anyone’s going to brush this off it’s her.”  
A watery laugh, then silence. They weren’t coming closer. You sighed.  
“Quit bickering.” Your voice came out harsh, raspy. There was a clatter from the hallway, like someone dropping a clipboard in surprise, then hurried footsteps. You waited until they got closer before trying to talk again. “Turn down the light.”  
The light filtering through your eyelids got dimmer, and you squinted experimentally. The light was low enough not to hurt now. You opened your eyes fully, blinking as you turned to the three assembled men.  
“What the fuck happened?” You rasped.  
Bruce laughed, moving to check your vitals. Steve grinned as he shook his head. “We defeated an old god and saved the world.”  
You raised an eyebrow, not trusting your voice.  
“You distracted it long enough for Strange to bind it.” He looked to Stephen and back to you. “It did a number on you, though. Bruce and Strange sewed you back together, but you’re going to have some scars.”  
You shrugged slightly. “Chicks dig scars, right?” You managed a whisper.  
Steve laughed. “I knew you’d be fine.”  
“Your vitals look great.” Bruce called from your other side. “How do you feel?”  
“Like I got hit by a car?” Whispering didn’t hurt, you decided to keep whispering.  
Bruce chuckled. “Or bitten by a giant millipede?”  
Stephen groaned. “Can you two give us a minute?”  
“Yeah.” Steve smiled softly, grabbing Bruce and steering the protesting man out of the room. “Yell if you need us. And don’t rile her up.”  
Stephen was quiet, staring at the ground as he waited for them to get out of earshot. Finally he looked up at you, a ghost of a smile on his lips.  
“What really happened?” You whispered. He chuckled.  
“You distracted the old god long enough for me to bind it. To a thimble I found in my pocket.” You snorted softly. “It got you, though. Would have gutted you if we were any slower. We didn’t think… I opened a portal to here, Bruce and I sewed you back together. You lost a lot of blood. We put you in a medically induced coma, it’s been a little under a week now. We didn’t… know if you’d wake up.”  
You closed your eyes, smiling faintly. “Thank you for saving my life.”  
“Thank you for saving mine. Again.” His voice broke and you opened your eyes, looking at him in concern. He was crying.  
“We talked about this.” You reached out, resting a hand on his cheek. He covered your hand with his, closing his eyes.  
“I didn’t know if you’d wake up.” He whispered. “Between the damage to your body and how close you were to the soul… I thought you might have gotten bound in the thimble with it.”  
“I’m right here.” You wiped away a tear with your thumb. “I don’t think anything got sucked up with the millipede, I can still move everything.” You wiggled your toes to emphasize. He laughed, shaking his head.  
“What would I do without you?”  
“Have more peace and quiet.” You joked, hoping to lighten the mood. He just looked sad.  
“They’re over-rated.” He whispered.  
You looked at him for a long, silent moment, searching. You smiled softly, pressing down with your fingers and pulling his face closer to yours. He didn’t resist. You lifted yourself up, pressing your lips to his and he froze in surprise for a moment before pressing himself against you. His arms wrapped around your shoulders, holding you up as you twined your other arm around his neck.  
Finally you pulled back, leaving your nose pressed against his, your eyes still closed.  
“I’m not leaving, Stephen.” You whispered. He sighed, pressing his lips against yours.  
*  
You were in the medical labs for another week. You probably would have been there longer, but the inactivity was killing you and you made some thinly veiled threats when Steve and Bruce came down to check on you that swayed their decision. You were off active duty for the foreseeable future, you weren’t allowed to do anything strenuous and you were only grudgingly allowed out of the tower. Physical therapy would start as soon as Bruce and Stephen could be convinced you were ready.  
You were just excited to be out of the lab.  
Half of the couch and two coffee tables became your new office as you sorted through dossiers and mission reports. If you were stuck recovering, you could at least make sure what paperwork the Avengers did have was correct and that the missions they were preparing to go out on were properly researched. It took you a little while to get back into the swing of office work, but once you did you were a force to be reckoned with.  
It was also a nice change of pace to be in the middle of everything again.  
Loki walked into the living room, glancing at your stack of paperwork disdainfully. “You know, you could just go back to being my consort and save yourself from this life.”  
You didn’t look up from the notes you were writing. “I was your consort in title only.”  
“Yes, and wasn’t it wonderful? Fancy parties, scintillating conversation.” He sighed, dropping onto the couch next to you. “No almost dying.”  
“To be fair, I did get kidnapped by an arcanist. I might have died.”  
He rolled his eyes. “You would not have, it was merely an attempted kidnapping.”  
You hummed. “And Stephen would be a little upset if I ran off to be your consort.”  
Loki huffed. “I still don’t like sharing you with that man.”  
“I know dear.” You reached out a hand to pat his leg sympathetically, still not looking up from your notes.  
He leaned over, not touching you but invading your space, and reached out to slide your notebook off the table and onto the floor. He grinned up at your scowl.  
“Do you need attention?” You grumbled.  
He nodded. “Desperately. Without your gaze, I will surely perish.”  
You groaned, rolling your eyes. “I said I was sorry I almost died. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”  
“Yes well. I would like to enjoy you until you decide that almost dying sounds like a good idea again, and that means watching a movie with me. I’m going to make popcorn, clear a table.” He stood abruptly, pressing a kiss to the top of your head and walking to the kitchen. You sighed, transferring everything onto one table and carefully tugging the other one towards the center of the couch.  
Loki returned shortly, setting the bowl of popcorn down and putting a dvd in the player. He reclaimed his seat, scooting closer to you and wrapping an arm around your shoulders. You leaned against him, grabbing a handful of popcorn and smiling.  
*  
You pressed your hands against the floor, pushing your chest as far off the ground as you could manage. The scar tissue along your stomach started to stretch and you hissed softly.  
Stephen frowned. “You don’t-“  
“Yes I do.” You hissed through your teeth, pushing yourself just a little further before laying back down.  
“If you pull something, make it worse…” He glared at you.  
“I’m not pushing myself that far.” You grumbled into the floor. “I just want to make progress.”  
“You are. You’re already lifting yourself higher.”  
You looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. He chuckled as he reached down to pull you to your feet.  
“Come on, that’s enough for today.” He kissed the top of your head before turning to open a portal. “I’ll make you tea, I know you like ‘sneaking’ out of the tower.”  
You snorted, smiling affectionately up at him. “Is it still sneaking if my doctors have cleared me for it?”  
“One of your doctors may have okay’d it for personal reasons.” He observed dryly. “Don’t tell the other one.”  
You stepped through the portal, waiting until he’d followed you to shake your head disapprovingly. “What a scoundrel. Whatever could he hope to gain from giving me freedom under false pretenses.”  
Stephen hummed. “Perhaps he hoped to gain a degree of privacy with his wonderful girlfriend?”  
You shook your head, thinking. “That can’t be it.”  
He barked a laugh, stepping up behind you and wrapping his arms gently around your waist. He ducked his head, planting a kiss on your neck. You laughed, leaning back against him.  
“You mean you don’t think we get enough privacy in the tower?” You asked, feigning surprise.  
He mumbled something into your neck that involved too many vowels to be English. It just made you laugh harder. You winced when it pulled on your scars. Stephen pulled back, twining one of his hands with yours.  
“I know it’s frustrating, but you just have to tough it out until you’re finished healing.” He smiled softly. “The time will pass.”  
“Until another old god tries to gut me.” You grumbled, sighing.  
“Please try to avoid that. I would be most put-off if you were eaten.” He scowled playfully, used to your dour responses by now.  
You smiled faintly, squeezing his hand. “I would be a little put-off too.”  
He led you back to the little room with the wall of windows. The table was still there, but he’d replaced the two armchairs with a matching loveseat. You raised an eyebrow and he blushed as he motioned you to sit down.  
“I thought this might be more…” He paused, suddenly looking unsure.  
“It’s perfect.” You chuckled, sitting. He preened for a moment, pleased, before turning to retrieve the tea set. He settled next to you, filling both your cups and gently wrapping an arm around your shoulders. You shifted until you were leaning against him, sighing happily.  
You sipped your tea (light and citrusy, you hadn’t recognized it and Stephen had laughed when he explained that it was the Nepali tea he liked) and told Stephen about the dossiers you’d been reviewing and Peter’s latest diorama project that you’d helped him build. He told you about finding Wong dancing in the study last week and his recent research projects.  
He’d just finished a very passionate explanation of the implications of a species that had been mentioned in one of his books when you heard music, faint but unmistakable. You tipped your head, listening, and he looked at you in confusion.  
“Do you hear that?” You whispered, slowly standing.  
“Hear what?” He rose as well.  
You held up a finger, slowly moving towards the sound. As you got a little closer Stephen heard it too, his brows furrowing. You watched him go down the list of items in the sanctum, trying to figure out what could cause it and finally giving up.  
The music got progressively louder, finally leading you to a plain box sitting on a shelf. Stephen tipped the lid open and the music became louder. You looked at each other, perplexed.  
“It feeds on the emotions around it, but I’ve never seen it do something like this before. I’ve never seen it to do much of anything before, really.” He shook his head.  
You studied it, thinking. Then, with a small smile, you wrapped your arms around Stephen. You kept watching the box, pressing yourself against him.  
The music became louder, more complicated. You laughed.  
“It’s reacting to us.” You looked up at him and he smirked, a slight blush tinting his cheeks.  
“Oh?”  
You pulled away and the music became slightly quieter. You wrapped yourself back around him and it picked up in intensity and tempo. You raised an eyebrow at him.  
“While I do question the scientific nature of your experiment, I think you are quite right.” He leaned down, kissing your forehead. The music swelled.  
You bit your lip, smiling up at him. “Would you care to dance, doctor?”  
He eyed you speculatively and you sighed.  
“Nothing strenuous. Just…” You wrapped your arms around his neck. “Simple?”  
He wrapped his arms around your waist, beginning to step in a slow modified waltz. The music changed accordingly, following the tempo of a waltz but becoming more complicated. It was beautiful, like auditory filigree. Stephen lead you around the room, no spins and nothing complicated, and you lost yourself in the moment. In the feel of his hands around your waist, in the color of his eyes and the way his mouth quirked up at the corners when he looked at you.  
He stopped suddenly, sighing as he leaned down to kiss you. The music swelled, becoming something loud and sweet.  
There was a thudding on the stairs and Wong appeared between shelves, scowling. You both turned to look at him, still wrapped around each other, and he groaned as he looked between you and the box. He muttered softly under his breath, collecting the box and its lid before stalking off the way he’d come.  
You and Stephen didn’t move, watching him and then looking at each other.  
You heard the study door slam downstairs and you both began to laugh.  
*  
You had one of the dossier files spread across a coffee table, your laptop perched on your legs and your notebook open beside you. The living room was silent except for the alternating sounds of rustling paper, clicking keys and the scratch of your pen. The silence made it so much more startling when someone grabbed your shoulder and you made a sound of alarm as you wrapped your hand around their wrist and started to pull them over the couch. Clint’s laughter jogged you out of your panic response and you scowled.  
“Why would you sneak up on me like that? How did you sneak up on me like that?”  
He hopped over the back of the couch, landing on the cushion next to your notebook, grinning.  
“Look up from your notes once in a while, it’s not hard to get the drop on you when you’re so focused.”  
Your scowled downgraded to a glare. “I’m in the tower, why would I need to be on alert.”  
His face positively lit up. “Because your training is going to start back up eventually, and we’re going to have to make up for lost time.”  
“Are you implying that you’re going to start ambushing me around the tower?”  
“That implication is not limited to just me.”  
You tipped your head. “Terrifying, but effective. You know I’m not ready to start training again.”  
He nodded. “I’m waiting for Bruce’s go-ahead.”  
“Why Bruce specifically?” You raised an eyebrow.  
“Because Strange is never going to check off on it.” Clint grinned and you felt yourself starting to blush.  
“Stephen would check off on it.” You shook your head.  
“Really? Because I think he’s going to be a little… over-protective for a while.”  
“Justify your stance.” You closed your laptop, setting it on the table, and turned your attention to Clint. Who was positively radiating smug success.  
“He was over-protective of you before you two started dating, you think he’s not going to be worse now that you are? After he had to stitch you back together?”  
“I think Stephen respects me and my ability to defend myself enough to check off on me resuming my training.” You answered primly, your blush deepening. “What do you mean he was over-protective before we started dating?”  
Clint was enjoying this conversation too much, it was making you nervous. “You can’t tell me you never picked up on it.”  
“Picked up on what, Clint?”  
“Trying to get you off field-work, insisting you had an escort, bothering Tony about your suit modifications…” He raised an eyebrow. You blinked, confused.  
“I only heard him argue with Steve once about me going out in the field.”  
“It happened all the time.”  
You shook your head. “I didn’t know that.”  
“Oh yeah, he’s had a crush on you since you joined.” You felt your blush spread to your neck, scowling at Clint’s grin.  
“He did not.”  
Clint smiled, silent.  
“He did not, we barely talked. And when we did…” You winced, thinking back to your arguments.  
Clint shrugged. “I’m just saying, I’ve been talking to him since you joined and the doctor’s poker face isn’t as good as he likes to think.”  
You rubbed your face, knowing it wouldn’t help. “Why are we talking about this?”  
“I like seeing the doctor happy. He can be an ass but he’s a good guy, and this is the happiest I’ve seen him.” You stared at Clint, covering your blush with your hands. “And I like seeing you happy. You’ve been tense since you joined. Now you’re actually starting to relax.”  
“Clint.” Your voice was muffled behind your hands.  
“I just think you’re good for each other.” He leaned back, smiling.  
You smiled faintly, lowering your hands and gently punching his shoulder. “Thanks. I think we are too.”  
Clint nodded, grinning. “And Tony owed me a couple hundred after you two got together.”  
“Damnit, you were betting on us?” You laughed.  
“Nat and I figured you two were a sure thing. The doctor’s a little dense sometimes, but we knew he’d figure it out.”  
You shook your head, sighing. A portal opening in the middle of the room cut off any response you were forming. Stephen stepped through, shooting you two a curious look.  
“When I’m healed, are you going to check off on me resuming training?” You called.  
He tipped his head, bemused. “Of course. I’d even encourage you to train more, once you’re up to it. If you’re going to throw yourself into fights, you should be prepared.”  
You turned to Clint, smug. “See? Told you he’d be fine with it.”  
Clint looked to Stephen. “We’re going to start ambushing her in the tower.”  
Stephen closed his eyes, a pained look crossing his face. “Unorthodox. Effective, but unorthodox. Who is ‘we’?”  
Natasha dropped from the ceiling in your peripheral vision, landing uncomfortable close to the armrest you were leaning on. You let out a startled shriek, flattening yourself against the back of the couch. Stephen swore, rapidly moving his hands as an orange cage sprung up around you. Knowing that nothing would get past his spell calmed you down enough that your heart stopped racing. Next to you, Clint was doubled over with laughter.  
Natasha stood, turning to Stephen. “Us.”  
“Would you not do that until she is far enough along that she can’t re-open something.” Stephen grated out between clenched teeth.  
Natasha shrugged. “Sure.”  
Loki appeared on the stairs, summoned by your distressed cry. He looked frazzled, his eyes darting between each of you. His eyebrows furrowed as he walked down the stairs. He shot Natasha a curious look. Stephen dropped the cage, shaking his head.  
“We are going to start ambushing her, when she is healed enough, as part of her training.” Natasha grinned at Loki. He nodded slowly.  
“To better prepare her for the field, I see. Clever. Very well, I will help you.” Loki crossed his arms.  
You raised your hand, looking between the four of them. “I am no longer okay with the ambush plan, I would like to not do the ambush plan.”  
Natasha grinned. “Okay.”  
“Really?” You looked at her askance, it couldn’t be that easy.  
She shrugged again, turning and walking out. You turned to Clint, who had managed to get his laughter under control.  
“Guess you’ll find out when the doctor checks off on it. What are you doing here, doc?” Clint turned his attention to Stephen.  
“Tony had something he wanted me to look at. I figured I’d check on my favorite patient on the way up.” He turned to you. “Do you think you tore anything?”  
You shook your head. “No new pains, I think I’m fine.” Gingerly, you stood, walking over to give him a gentle kiss in belated-greeting. Clint awww’d, Loki made a faint gagging noise.  
*  
“Peter! Your date is here!” Natasha sing-songed up the stairs. There was a thud followed by clattering and the sound of running. A harried Peter threw himself down the stairs, racing for the elevator.  
Natasha reached out, grabbing the back of his suit and tugging him to an abrupt stop.  
“Jarvis, please bring the young lady up.” She called sweetly. Peter paled.  
“Ms. Romanov, there appears to be a group of people in the lobby for Mr. Parker.” Even JARVIS sounded faintly amused.  
“Perfect! Bring them all up, would you?” She grinned.  
You were leaning against Stephen on the couch, your legs on Loki’s lap. Bruce was sitting in an arm chair, a camera resting on his lap and a grin on his face. Steve, Tony and Clint were standing by the tv, chuckling. Thor was sitting on the loveseat, looking pleasantly perplexed.  
The elevator whirred and Natasha let go of Peter’s suit. He smoothed it out, looking more nervous. The door dinged, opening to reveal Peter’s best friends and their dates. Behind them was a very pretty girl with hair so blonde it was nearly white. Peter began to blush. They all looked around the tower wide-eyed. Natasha shepherded them to the stairs, clucking disapprovingly as she straightened ties and corsages.  
“What are you-“ Peter started to ask.  
“Photos!” She cheered, grinning. His blush got deeper.  
“That’s really not-“  
“Nonsense, we’re all excited for you and we want to make sure you remember tonight.” She turned, gesturing to Bruce who stepped up with the camera.  
Peter looked to you, panicking. You shrugged.  
Natasha drew the photos out as long as she could, all but cackling. Peter managed to smile in all the photos, only looking mortified when the camera was down. When Natasha finally let them head back to the elevator, you carefully stood up from the couch. Peter immediately darted to you, looking concerned. You shook your head, smiling, and pulled him into a hug.  
“You look so handsome.” You mumbled next to his ear, feeling yourself tearing up.  
“Hey, c’mon.” You knew he was blushing. You gave him a gentle squeeze, pulling back and looking up at him. He had definitely gotten taller.  
You patted his shoulder, smiling. “Wear more suits.” Tony laughed, stepping up behind you and resting a hand on your shoulder.  
“You should. They look more-“ He started. Natasha cut him off with a gleeful cackle.  
“Back to the stairs! I missed the best photo.”  
Peter’s face fell but he allowed himself to be lead back to the stairs for a photo with you and Tony. He ran for the elevator afterwards, frantically pressing the door close button to the laughter of his friends.  
Tony helped you back to the couch, Stephen helped you sit back down. You wrinkled your nose at him.  
“I’m getting better, you’re not going to have to do that for much longer.” You grumbled.  
“Yes.” He nodded, pulling you back against him. “But you enjoy the extra attention.”  
Your protest was drowned out by the team’s laughter. Tony and Clint passed out drinks to everyone who wasn’t still on medication, and you all settled in for a nice night of hanging out in the living room until Peter got home from prom.  
Tony had even wheeled in another tv screen for JARVIS to display a digital clock on. For added embarrassment.  
*  
You and Stephen stood side-by-side, watching the ocean waves lap against the pier. You were standing just close enough for your shoulders to touch, both of you leaning on the railing.  
It had been a few months since you’d woken up, your healing progressing admirably. In three days, barring an unforeseen injury, you would start training again. Then it was back to field work.  
The two of you had snuck out of the tower, seeking fresh air and a moment of peace together. You reached over, twining your hand with his. He glanced down at them, smiling faintly, and over at you.  
“Excited to start training?” He asked softly.  
You nodded. “And terrified.”  
“You will survive the ambushes, they will be good for you.”  
You chuckled, shaking your head and looking out across the water. He gently squeezed your hand.  
You glanced up at him, a tiny smirk forming on your lips. “You know, Clint claims you’ve had a crush on me since I joined.”  
He nodded, not looking at you. “There is not much that escapes his notice.”  
A faint hint of pink colored your cheeks. He glanced down at you, smiling.  
“I love you.” His voice was soft. You looked up at him, smiling, and pressed yourself into his side.  
“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! Chapter 15 should have gone up at the same time as this one, but chapter 15 is just smut. This was the last one with any real plot.
> 
> I'm touched by the feedback I've received, I'm really glad you all enjoyed this!  
> Thank you all so much for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really just smut.  
> If this isn't your thing, you aren't missing any plot or anything if you skip this.  
> If this is your thing, enjoy.

You and Stephen were lying on your bed, side by side on your backs reading. Absent-mindedly you reached over, your hand sneaking under the hem of his shirt run along his side. You smiled as he hummed at your touch. His hand settled on your shoulder a moment later, running a finger along the edge of your ear and down your jaw. You shivered.  
He closed his book, rolling over to press a kiss to the edge of your jaw. He trailed kisses down your neck, stopping at your collar bone. He looked up at you, smiling. You set your book aside, pulling his face closer and kissing him. You nipped his lip as you pulled apart, giving him a wicked smile. He blushed, leaning down to gently bite your neck. You moaned, your back arching.  
He froze, not breathing, waiting. You sighed, brushing your thumb along his cheek and smiling sadly.  
“I’ll tell you if it hurts. But if I don’t say anything, then it doesn’t. Okay?” You asked softly.  
He nodded. “I just don’t want to…”  
“I know.” You leaned forward, kissing him again.  
He lay an arm across you, his hand wrapping around your hip. His fingers pressed into your skin, evoking a soft groan from you. He cut the sound off, kissing you again and pressing himself against you. You slid a hand under his shirt, trailing your fingers down his back. He sighed against your lips, moving down to nibble your collar bone.  
You tugged at his shirt and he slid it off, chuckling. You bit your lip, smiling as you ran your eyes along his exposed torso. It wasn’t the first time you’d gotten him out of his shirt but it took your breath away just as much as it had the first time. He groaned as you ran your fingers along his skin and you leaned forward to trail kisses from his shoulder to the dip between his collar bones. His heartrate had picked up, you could feel his pulse against your lips.  
You wiggled down a little, starting to kiss lower. You got to his belly button before he reached down to stop you, gently rolling you onto your back. His face was flushed as he moved to kneel next to you, unbuttoning your shirt. After each button he leaned forward to plant a kiss on your exposed skin, raising goosebumps in their wake. You stopped him as he reached the middle button, not quite meeting his eyes.  
He smiled sadly, kissing your forehead. “You got them saving my life.”  
You hummed, nervous.  
“Please?” He asked softly. He’d seen the scars covering your stomach and sides many times, he was one of your doctors. But this was… different. Sure, you’d fooled around before, but you’d insisted on keeping your shirt half-on. You knew he was fine with the scars, wouldn’t find them repulsive, but the fear was still there.  
Slowly, you nodded, letting go of his hand. He smiled softly, resuming his leisurely unbuttoning of your shirt. You shivered, still nervous. He undid the last button, glancing up at you. You slid the shirt off your shoulders, setting it aside. He looked at you, taking in the curves of your skin, his eyes working their way down to the scars. He gently traced their outline with his fingers and you shuddered, reaching out to stop him. The fresh keloids ached at the touch.  
He looked up at you, concerned. You shook your head, finding your voice. “Feels weird.”  
He nodded, gently ghosting a kiss across one and looking back up at you. You nodded. He gently kissed his way across your stomach, then back up your ribs. You obligingly arched your back so he could undo the strap on your bra, pulling it off you. He cupped your breasts, running his thumbs over the soft skin and watching the way you shivered.  
He leaned forward, kissing you. You reached up, resting one hand on the back of his neck and twining the other one in his hair.  
He slid one hand down your side, carefully avoiding your scars, and brought it to rest on your hip. He gently squeezed the jut of your hip-bone and you cried out, arching yourself against him. You could feel his smile as he kissed his way down your neck.  
He pulled back, trailing his hand lazily along the waist band of your leggings. You writhed under his touch, trying and failing to smother a moan. He curled his fingers, sliding them under your leggings teasingly.  
You lifted yourself up, carefully, and ran your fingers through his hair. You pressed your lips to his neck, kissing your way down to gently bite his shoulder. He sucked in a breath, groaning, before he gently disentangled himself from you. You made a disappointed noise and he chuckled, sliding off the bed and pulling you to him until your legs were hanging off the side. He stepped between your legs, resting one knee on the bed as he leaned over you to kiss you again. He ran a hand along your side, squeezing your breast, and you pressed your chest against his.  
“(Y/N).” JARVIS spoke up. “Loki is attempting to open your door.”  
Stephen laughed, burying his face in your shoulder. You groaned, closing your eyes.  
“Please tell him to go away.” You called.  
“He is ignoring me.” JARVIS sounded apologetic.  
“Please tell him I’m having sex.” You called. Stephen snorted.  
There was a disgusted shout from the other side of the door.  
“He has left.” JARVIS supplied.  
You sighed, turning your head to kiss Stephen’s ear. He lifted himself up to regard you curiously.  
“What?” You asked.  
“Are you… do you feel up to it?” He asked carefully. You paused, thinking. It had been a little over two months since the old god had tried to bisect you, since you and Stephen had started seeing each other. It was only recently you’d healed enough to even be able to fool around, sex had been off the table completely. Stephen had been more concerned with your recovery, you’d had to talk him into fooling around the first time and he still stopped the second you flinched. But you were almost completely healed, although your stamina was probably terrible.  
You grinned. “Be gentle?”  
“Of course.” He whispered.  
“Yes. Please, Stephen, I want you.” Your voice broke slightly under the accumulated months of your courtship, of all the times you’d had to stop short because of a twinge in your wounds.  
He moaned, burying his face in your neck. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer, and he moved to sit up, wrapping his arms around you. You laughed, wrapping your legs around his waist, and he stood.  
“Hold on.” He instructed you, turning to open a portal. You couldn’t see where he was taking you, but it was clear the moment he’d stepped through.  
You’d only been to his room in the sanctum a couple of times, but you recognized it immediately. He closed the portal, laying you down on his bed and dropping his sling ring on the table.  
You twined your fingers in his hair, pulling him down. The urgency in your kiss surprised you. He groaned, pressing himself against you, and you flushed at the feeling of his erection pressing against your leg. You slid your leg against him, enjoying the way he shivered and the sound it elicited.  
He pulled back from the kiss, glaring at you breathlessly. You smiled up at him, sliding your leg back down and delighting in the way it made him bite his lip and half-close his eyes.  
He stood, ignoring your soft protests, and hooked his fingers under the band of your leggings. Slowly, he pulled them down your legs and you wiggled to try to make him go faster. He chuckled, pulling them off you completely and kneeling next to the bed. He wrapped a hand around each ankle, kissing his way up one leg and then the other. You shivered, whimpering.  
He stopped at the edge of your panties, releasing your ankles and wrapping his hands around your hips. Gently he ran the tip of his tongue between the edge of the cloth and the skin underneath, making you shudder. He trailed one hand from your hip to the edge of the cloth, teasingly sliding a finger underneath. You bucked your hips insistently and he chuckled, leaning back to pull your panties off.  
He ran his thumb along your slit, groaning at how wet you already were. He leaned back in, replacing his thumb with his tongue and you cried out. Slowly, teasingly, he ran his tongue along you. When he finally reached your clit, he gently sucked on it, flicking it with his tongue. It didn’t take long for you to cum, burying your fingers in his hair and crying out his name.  
He held your hips, leaning back and watching you smugly until your shudders stopped. As you tried to catch your breath, he leaned forward again and ran his tongue along you.  
He took his time exploring you, finding all the places that made you buck and moan. You writhed under his attention, whimpering, and it wasn’t long before you orgasmed again.  
He waited until you stilled, panting, before crawling up the bed to you. You reached down, tugging on his pants and raising an eyebrow. He laughed, sliding them off, and you ran a hand down his hip and along his thigh. You moaned, running your eyes along his exposed skin. He blushed, smiling.  
“See something you like?” He teased, his voice husky.  
You chuckled, running a finger down his erect shaft and watching him shudder. “Maybe.” You started to sit up and he pushed you back down, moving himself between your legs.  
He looked at you, questioning. You bit your lip, nodding. He reached to the bedside table, grabbing a small square of foil and tearing it open. The condom slid easily along his length and he lined himself up with your opening. He pushed in slowly, watching your face. You moaned, bunching your fists in the blanket. He slid himself slowly, gently, until he was completely inside you, pulling back out just as slow. He paused, just the head inside you, and teasingly worked it in and out. You moaned, hooking your legs behind him and pulling him deeper inside you.  
He fell forward, his hands coming to rest next to your shoulders and his face in your neck. He pumped in and out of you, panting, and you cried out in pleasure. He felt so good inside you, you could feel the pressure building up in you again.  
You wrapped your arms around his back, digging your fingers into him and eliciting a groan. He picked up his pace, moving inside you a little more forcefully. You cried out, arching yourself against him.  
The tension in you built as he moved against you, nibbling your neck and moaning your name. You came around him, crying out, and he came shortly after. As your shudders subsided, he rolled off you, sliding the condom off and curling himself around you. He reached past you, grabbing an edge of the blanket and pulling it over the both of you. You turned towards him, tucking your head under his chin and draping your arm across him. He wrapped an arm around you, wrapping his other hand around yours and nuzzling your hair.  
You sighed, dazed and contented in his arms. He kissed the top of your head, chuckling softly.  
“I love you.” He whispered.  
“I love you too.” You mumbled.

*

He'd opened a portal back to your room, promising to come by later for dinner. You’d taken a shower, gotten changed, and walked out to the living room.  
Loki was sprawled across the couch, reading. He looked up at your entrance, wrinkling his nose.  
“I’m disappointed in you.” He said dryly.  
“I’m not.” You chirped, settling on the couch and pulling his legs across your lap. You leaned forward, trapping them. “Want to hear about it?”  
Steve came running in a moment later, drawn by the shouting and half-convinced someone was dying. He shook his head at the pair of you, you laughing so hard you were wheezing and Loki shouting like someone had stabbed him, and walked back out.  
It was good to have things going back to normal.


End file.
